In the book iGen from Jean M. Twenge, she made solid points and backed it up with evidence about how technology is life management for igen’ers. She claims that some igen’ers have poor social skills, meanwhile they are really good at communicating online. Most igen’ers could not imagine a time without technology, yet generations before them grew up without technology, so they socialize better and do not worry about texting unless for general reasons like meeting up with a friend or find out what their kid is doing.
Twenge’s overall argument is to help people understand how other generations grew up and help generations before igens understand the newer generation (iGens). I agree with her argument because not a lot of parents understand how to approach their child when they know something is not right with them. The teen either says nothing to the parent or they cause self harm. According to Twenge, “Madison’s Instagram account didn’t capture what was really going on: she was depressed. She was, she confided to her friend Emma, scared to grow up, terrified that she didn’t know exactly would happen next. One day in January of her freshman year, her father called and asked if she had found a therapist so she could continue her treatment when she was at school. “No, but don’t worry, Daddy, I’ll find one,” she said. A few hours later, she jumped off the roof of a nine story parking garage to her death. She was 19 years old.” (pg. 107) Madison did not know how to express her depression towards her family or people she was close with. She kept that depression inside and it resulted into suicide. This would be a good reason why parents want to know how to communicate with their igen teen if they are going through depression because they would not want to have the feeling that my child was depressed and I could not help.
The internet should be for entertainment, not to use as a lifestyle. People before igens know how to manage without the internet by watching tv or going outside to do whatever with friends. My grandma would be a good example. Every time I go to her house, she watches old movies when she was a kid, read books, or work on crossword puzzles. With me, I bring my handheld game system, home gaming system, and my phone whenever I spend the night. I use the upstairs TV while she uses the down stairs. Comparing me and my grandma will be like comparing samsung and apple, both are phones, but different functions. In this case, we are the same people, but different functions. In conclusion, Twenge makes a reasonable claims about igens that parents should take time to understand. She even gives helpful advice for beating anxiety and depression. Stephen Llardi states, “The six part program includes sunlight exposure, exercise, diet, avoiding rumination, getting enough sleep, and engaging in in-person social interaction.” (pg. 300) One day, iGen’ers and generations after them will be understood by people who were born before them so they could know what to do for any problem an igen is going through.
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