Generation gaps, distance from reality and more. Would you ever be able to break free from the system of networks that keeps us in the unreal world?

Every decade, the generation gap between people seems to keep increasing. The wider the generation gap, the more the distance from reality. With the recent popularity of technology, this gap has become even more apparent. The generation growing up nowadays will never know what it’s like to write a letter or dial a phone number. They’ll never have to wait for that beep before hanging up. And they’ll never have to look at an old photograph and remember where you are.

But while these new generations are losing out on many different aspects of life prior to the 21st century, they’re also gaining many things that their parents did not have the privilege to. For example, let’s talk about building a social circle or having access to information. These days there are apps and online communities that bring like minded people together, however, the previous generation’s social circle was greatly dependent on their geography. Access to information on one hand was such a tedious thing to achieve, one would have to go to the library and spend hours or approach people and ask around.

The current and upcoming generations are living in a massive system built on networks. These networks are what bring us closer and also what set us apart. The internet was originally created for government use, but since it’s creation in the early 1990s it has become one of the most influential parts of our society today. And now more than ever before, we are able to connect with people from all around the world at any given moment.

With this new way of life comes many advantages and disadvantages. The majority of these advantages are experienced by millennials and Gen Zs who have grown up in a time where technology is so advanced that it feels it runs in our blood and we can’t survive without it. Which is true in a sense. You know how we always are forced into taking up what the peers around us do. Well that holds true to technology as well. When you see a huge huge chunk of population depending heavily on technology, you don’t really have a choice but to succumb to its usage. For example, if you were to see a group of young people on the street chatting with each other and laughing, you might wonder what they’re talking about. But when you see them using their smartphones, you know exactly what they are talking about and even if you don’t want to hear it, you will still find yourself listening in on their conversation. This is because technology has become so integrated within our society that we can no longer ignore it.

While this is true for many generations, I wonder sometimes if there could be a way to just break apart from this system of networks. Are we absorbed too deep into the system that we don’t even realize? Will the fear of missing out get to us if we try to break apart from the system of consumerism that the huge networks are functioning on?

Maybe one thing we would have to be ready for is to feel comfortable not being included. To feel comfortable not fitting in.