We are the wired generation. Look around and you will see that Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror was right and we are glued to the screens of phones, laptops anything to be consumed in the virtual world around us. A recent survey into internet usage for young people showed 94% of teens use Facebook followed by (no Twitter pun intended) 26% using Twitter. We are undeniably connected to the world around us, I remember the day when we could choose any username whereas now everyone has about twenty different accounts and they have to suggest a new name for you. If I ask to be 'aostansfield' I don't expect to become 'Ao_StaNsfieLLd100009.'
As some might say 'back in my day', people weren't clued to devices compared to nowadays where the majority of us are in despair if we can't connect to Wifi. The technology development of screen addiction arguably began with the television. Since then we have clearly ignored the idea of 'sitting too close will make your eyes square' and instead put as many screens in front of our face as possible.
This isn't necessarily as bad as I'm phrasing it. Without our connection I would not have received many jobs I now have, learnt as much as I know and would less likely be as creative as I am since the majority of my work is for the online platform. The world is at our fingertips literally with the 'clicking, scrolling, pointing and navigating are practices that transfer across platforms' (Mittell, J. 2011). But doesn't anybody else feel like we need a break?
On the first day of meeting people in my halls at university we all stayed separated from our phones, no longer connected to the ones back home just for the day. Now it seems I can have a conversation with somebody whilst they are listening and texting another. Newspapers, networks, companies, industries, whatever all stay connected to their consumer/audiences via screens and The Guardian's Three Little Pigs advert is a clear example of how our world is connected through this portable devices, but in a positive way. (Avaliable here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDGrfhJH1P4) I recreated a similar project for my A Level, earlier this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUSLjTrqBS8. However it focuses more on the sexualisation on women in advertising and the censorship involved rather than the technology journalism aspect that the original covered.
The issues with our connection is the concept that we can't detach from being constantly 'Plugged In'. Advice on living the virtual world? It is almost impossible for some, and to escape it now is to be excluded from a social and business part of the generation we live in. However, what can you do if you are 'wired'? I recommend taking a break from your phone. Leave it at home for an hour or two just get a break from being constantly connected. Take out the earphones and listen for a change. On the other hand, if you are someone who can never truly go offline, then use the tools to your understanding and thrive in the knowledge, grow with it, since the information is at your fingertips you might as well use it, and don't just be consumed.
References:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/web-hosting/50-facebook-facts-and-figures/10150274471574235
http://www.dailytech.com/Survey+94+Percent+of+Teens+Use+Facebook/article31611.htm
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/nov/10/newmedia.media
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2013/04/genwired/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDGrfhJH1P4)