Cell phones have changed the way people communicate since day one. However, have these technological advancements actually hindered the ability of millennials to have in-person conversations?Today, it is impossible to go anywhere without seeing at least one person glaring into his or her phone. Whether playing on apps or texting a friend, it is obvious that technology has started to consume the lives of many people.
Anthony Perez, a third-year finance and political science major at the University of Florida, said that technology has negatively affected the way millennials are able to communicate in personal situations.
“I think it’s a little harder for us to communicate face-to-face because we are so used to communicating through Facebook or over text message,” he said.
During a study conducted by Survey Sampling International in October of 2014, researchers found that nearly half of the respondents aged 19 to 22 spent at least four hours on the Internet using their phones each weekday. With so much time spent texting and browsing the Internet on their phones, is this affecting millennials’ ability to communicate in a professional environment?
Nadene Reynolds, who is the associate director for professional development and experience at the Career Resource Center at UF, works with students on being career-ready on a daily basis. She said that employers have taken notice of the newfangled craving for technology.
“We’ve heard over the years that employers are in awe of students’ inability to hold conversations, to stay engaged in conversation, [or] to know how to communicate with peers in internship environments,” she said.
According to the Pew Research Center, as of October 2014, 29 percent of all cell phone owners describe their cell phone as “something they can’t imagine living without.” Technology is becoming the centerpiece of millennial lifestyle. Whether checking the news or tweeting at a favorite celebrity, virtually everyone can admit that technology seems to play a significant part in their lives.
While many people say millennials are becoming consumed by their phones, Perez said he believes this is simply a generational trend.
“I think that every generation gets addicted to whatever new technology comes out at the time,” he said. “People first became obsessed with radio; when there was television, people became obsessed with television; same thing with computers. So, I think it’s just a natural progression of society to get obsessed with whatever new technology is available at the time.”
Reynolds would echo Perez in saying that “every generation has its generalizations.” It stands that with the recent advancements in technology, it is hard not to use it.
“It’s almost too early to unfairly label them as terrible with technology,” Reynolds said. “It’s important to make sure we don’t generalize a whole generation based on some of the patterns that we see.”