Twenge, J.M. (2017, Sep.), Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? The Atlantic.

Dr. Jean Twenge is a professor of psychology at San Diego State University. She is the author six books a over 130 articles. She studies generational differences in Americans. The article in The Atlantic focuses on the effects of smartphones.

Introduction

• Generational Differences
  • The semi-old test
  • What generation are you?
  • Beloit College Mindset List, Class of 2021 (that's you BTW)

Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?

• iGen
  • Those born between 1995 to 2012
  • Ubiquity of smartphones for them
  • "Screentime"
• Before the smartphone
  • Asserting independence
    • Smoking
    • Hanging out
    • Driver's License
• Now
  • Less dating
  • Less sexual activity
  • Less working for money
  • Virtual social life
  • "...on the phone, in their room, alone and often distressed."
  • Less real get togethers (e.g., "...the roller rink, the basketball court, the town pool, the local necking spot")
  • Replaced by social media
• Effects?
  • She suggests, "Put down the phone, turn off the laptop, and do something--anything--that does not involve a screen."
  • Does screentime cause unhappiness?
    • Facebook study: more unhappiness
    • Feelings of loneliness
    • More screentime, more depression
    • For teens, suicides are up and homicides are down
  • Gender
    • Girls use social media more
    • Girls are aware of exclusions in social media
    • Girls report more loneliness
    • Girls' depression and suicide rates are higher than boys'
    • Girls experience more cyberbullying

Data

• How do you relate to the data above?
  • Hanging out with friends
  • In no rush to drive
  • Less dating
  • Less sex
  • More likely to feel lonely
  • Less likely to get enough sleep

Your Phone?

• What do you do with it at night?
• How much do you sleep?
• Have you ever gone back to retrieve it from home?

Questions

• When did you first get a smartphone. How old were you?
• How old were you when you got your driver's license?
• Did you have a job in high school?
• How much time do you spend on your phone daily?
• How much time do you spend on "nonscreen activities?" What are those?
• Are honors students different in their phone use?
• Are you lonely?
• Do you wish you had more friends?
• Have you been the victim of cyberbullying?
• How much time, on average, do you sleep?

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