It comes as no surprise…

Today’s youth spend an average of 7 ½ hours a day consuming media; listening to music, surfing the web, watching television, social networking, and playing video games. This generation is sometimes known as the “Facebook generation”, and they are living what is referred to as hybrid lives. Not too long ago children and teenagers had time to be online and time to be offline. This is no longer the case. Young people are constantly connected and are living their lives increasingly online. In a recent study by the Pew Research Center, it was discovered that only 35 percent of teenagers socialize face-to-face with their friends on a daily basis.

For most teenagers, texting surpasses face to face conversations. 33% of teens send over 100 texts a day, or over 3000 texts per month. Texting while driving has become the leading cause of accidents among teenage drivers. 50% of teens surveyed admit to texting and driving.

As you can imagine, growing up in this milieu has some unintended effects. Among the more profound is the lack of a skill set that most of us take for granted: the ability to ‘read’ body language, facial expressions and postures with any degree of accuracy. In addition, there is a ‘dis-inhibition’ that the perceived anonymity and lack of perceived consequences of social media fosters within them. People feel free to express a range of emotions electronically that they never would in a face to face interaction. Flaming, (angry responses with no filters) Flirting, and an Idealized version of the self they create in their various media profiles may actually lead to a generation that is less connected to them-selves and their friends.

Finally, the sheer volume of information that is presented to these fledgling brains has an adverse effect. The mind can only take in and integrate so much each day. What we lose in our constant ‘streaming of data’ is the ability to attend to things long enough to create long term memory. If we think of intelligence as the depth of thought and the ability to retain data, then unfettered access to social media content is not a good thing.

Interestingly enough, an ancient practice of the church is found to be a wonderful ‘antidote’ to the over stimulation of the ‘net. Lectio Divina. Lectio is a prayerful reading and reflection on the scriptures, using our imagination and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to open up in us a place for God to speak. And a place for us to be able to listen.

To be continued…