Courtesy of Jean M. Twenge

American social scientist Jean M. Twenge, famous for her intergenerational studies, is investigating how digital technology is affecting local youngsters adversely. Her study results, however, serve as a cautionary tale for parents across the globe.

The title of American social scientist Jean M. Twenge’s latest book, published in late 2017, sounds alarming enough already: iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood … and What That Means for the Rest of Us.

Reading the book, however, will make you even more nervous about the fate of our next generation, individuals who are born in 1995 and later, whom Twenge labels in her study as the iGen. Who are they? They are the kids who grow up with cell phones, have a Facebook page even before they start high school and do not remember a time before the internet.

Due to their deep engagement with digital technology, an education expert named Marc Prensky calls these kids a slightly different, yet more appropriate name: digital natives.

With a PhD in psychology from the University of Michigan, Twenge has made a name for herself by outlining the behaviors, attitudes and personality traits that define American millennials, referring to the generational cohort born around the 1980s and early 1990s in her 2006 book Generation Me. The book, which explores how a high sense of entitlement characterizes millennials, is then complemented with a 2011 book she cowrote with her colleague W. Keith Campbell called The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the age of entitlement.

While millennials who grew up during the advent of reality shows and the general obsession to become famous are marked by a high level of narcissism, iGen members who grow up using digital technology excessively are marked with alarming mental health problems.

Twenge based her latest book on her deep analysis of data drawn from more than 11 million American respondents over the few years, not only to identify the characteristics of iGen but also to contrast them with members of the previous generation. Twenge surveyed iGen members using questionnaires.

Her research sample included people aged 12 to 20, representing all ethnic groups in the United States (African American, Latino/a, Middle Eastern American, Asian American, etc.) and different social stratification layers, from those attending elite schools to ones attending non-elite educational
institutions.

From her sample and her analysis comparing and contrasting the sample with that she generated from the previous generations, she has identified 10 defining characteristics of iGen individuals: in no hurry (growing up slowly), internet, in person no more, mental insecurity, irreligious, insulated but not intrinsic, income insecure, indefinite, inclusive and independent.

Twenge attributes these characteristics not only to premature exposure to digital technology but also upbringing as well as the current sociopolitical and economic contexts of the US. This review focuses only on the technology aspect.

One part of the new book that parents everywhere should pay close attention to is Twenge’s description of how excessive use of social media and digital gadgets is eating away at the mental resilience of American teenagers. The findings of Twenge’s study will inspire parents across the globe to moderate their children’s use of digital gadgets.

In a chapter called “In Person No More: I’m With You But Only Virtually”, she outlined, for example, how excessive use of social media and online games has lessened the time these youngsters spend in face-to-face meetings with their friends.

Twenge has also demonstrated that the detached, faceless characteristic of online social interactions will never be able to replace the genuine quality presented by face-to-face engagements in terms of providing social connection and integration.

As a result, a lot of these teenagers feel more isolated and lonelier when compared to members from the previous generations, who invested a lot of time in live, face-to-face social interactions. If left unchecked, the isolation and loneliness can lead people into depression, which can lead to suicide.

Twenge outlines another mental health crisis created by excessive social media use in a different chapter called “Insecure: the New Mental Health Crisis”. The toxic social comparison encouraged by social media, where these youngsters see their friends spending their holidays in exciting places, gathering with their cool friends or owning cool stuff can make youngsters feel very inferior.

These youngsters, unfortunately, are not yet mentally equipped to be aware that the glitzy contents of other people’s social media accounts are nothing but a superficial public relations (PR) spin to puff oneself up in a social setting. They are yet to be aware that people tend to present only glamorous aspects of their lives on social media, without revealing their vulnerability, weaknesses or difficulties.

The illusion brought by people’s online personal branding PR spin on their social media effectively destroys our youngsters’ sense of self-confidence and gratitude. Instead of priding themselves in the achievements they have made in their personal and academic lives, these youngsters are haunted constantly by a sense of inadequacy due to other people’s constant showing off of glamour on social media.

Sounds scary? Thankfully, Twenge does present a number of tips that parents can use to monitor their children’s use of social media and digital gadgets, such as postponing their adoption of personal gadgets and internet until as late an age as possible.

Upon reading Twenge’s book, another tactic to bolster your children from the adverse impacts of excessive social media use comes to mind: Encourage them to take part in social activities that activate their five senses, such as sports or natural adventures.

Besides being useful for parents, Twenge’s book is also useful for teachers and employers alike, as it will give them clues on the characteristics of this new generation and how to deal with the traits to work with them effectively and efficiently.

This book is available in Periplus bookstores across Jakarta.

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iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy — and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood… and What that Means for the Rest of Us Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D. 343 pages Atria Books

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