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The trouble isn't screens or social interaction, it's that there's this existential threat to everything that didn't exist outside of nuclear scares in the 1960
by astrodust 8y ago
The trouble isn't screens or social interaction, it's that there's this existential threat to everything that didn't exist outside of nuclear scares in the 1960s. The wild-eyed optimism that tomorrow would bring about something better and brighter lasted until the 1970s, but is completely and utterly dead now.
Millenials are the first generation to have worse job prospects than their parents. If you want to know why they spend so much time on social media it's because it's the only thing that matters. Everything else is beyond their control and, honestly, utterly depressing.
- DougN7 8y agoI’m not sure. To me the threats you mention seem more cerebral since we have to think about them, but don’t feel them (well, I guess one feels pressure from one’s economic sitation). For example, irreversible global warming is a huge concern, but I don’t walk around thinking about it all day. But feeling lonely and disconnected is something that is hard to escape. Lack of human connection is hugely emotional. And in my experience, depression is emotional. But to be honest, I’m an armchair quarterback here so I’ll see what others have to say :)
- astrodust 8y agoYou don't have to be actively thinking about something for it to weigh on you and drag you down. I think people are more connected than you think. Where you used to have to converse with a handful of people in your immediate environment you can now maintain connections with people world-wide. That also introduces additional stress since we share the pain of others.