Gen-Y Values: How To Uphold Your Morals In Today's Digital World
Sometimes, the world sucks. Sorry to be so blunt, but it’s the blunt reality. Our generation is totally dependent on technology and getting society’s stamp of approval before carrying on with even the most mundane tasks of our everyday lives.
While technology is now totally necessary given the way the world now works, and it provides incredibly efficient means of communication, in ways, it has stripped us from true, developed personalities.
The way we promote ourselves online is not necessarily reflective of who we really are. And since these identity choices are deliberate, and often aspirational, we begin to lose sight of ourselves. Do we even know who we really are anymore?
When I was growing up in the 90s, technology was just on the rise. There was no iPhone, iPad, Kindle, etc. Barney and his friends (along with my parents’ judgment) were the hands that raised me.
My humble and passionate mother always taught me through example how to treat others, how to be a friend and how to keep a promise. She taught me how to love with my whole heart, how to study for a test and how to enjoy the little things in life.
While I still hold these values to be prominently important in my life, I have seen too many people who have allowed them to extinguish. But, I’m no angel; I let society control me, and sometimes I fall victim to materialistic pressure. However, I still cling to my morals and values, which is rare today.
With the rise of advanced technology comes the loss of human value. Values placed on material items became far more prominent than value placed on the morals with which we grew up. Showing off became more acceptable than remaining humble.
Spewing criticisms that border pure evil (a la Simon Cowell) has become more popular than considering a person’s feelings. Cheating on your partner has become totally common, while once, it was completely unacceptable. What happened to the desire for love, creativity, work and friendship? Our ethics and priorities are totally convoluted.
Social media has made communication dangerously easy and it has demoralized many our friendships. Now, people go out to see each other and subsequently have an Instagram fest; both motivations are high concerns.
While I’m a victim to this media takeover, I can still acknowledge that it’s bad for society. But unfortunately, many people forget the lessons of their formative years — and things have only grown worse since the Myspace days. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and other social media forums have made it increasingly easier to abandon our childhood education regarding how to be a good person.
A lot of our social media choices portray us more negatively than we intend, and a lot of it is irreversible.
Society tells us to be the best people we can be, physically speaking. Our personalities are nearly meaningless compared to how our photos make us seem.
We must learn to embrace the earnest morals and values that we all possess deep down. This mindfulness could save us from numerous scandals, eating disorders, fights and other negative societal realities. Teach your future children to read, to dream, to do good things for others and to do so without expectation.
Top Photo Courtesy: Facebook
