School

We are living in exponential times. What does this mean, and why is it important to our generation? This means that we are bombarded with rapidly growing communication, information, and choices. There are so many ways of communication now: texting; internet websites, such as facebook and twitter; instant messaging; emailing, that people didn’t have access to twenty years ago. People have information thrown at them all the time through the Internet, television, verbal communication, radio, and cellular devices. Thirty years ago, a typical teenager had a choice of 10-100 channels. Teenagers now have a choice of several hundred channels. When you go to buy toothpaste, there are several brands, and each brand has many different types of toothpastes, varying in size and flavor. Thirty to forty years ago, there were only two brands of toothpaste, and each brand only had one type each. The choice difference is several times more than thirty years ago, and that number is still growing.

Living in this vastly growing time period is important to this generation. Psychologists think that we are having information given to us so much it is changing the way we think and learn. We are trained to multitask more now, which has its positives and negatives. We can think and do more tasks and problems. However, have you ever tried to watch television and do homework at the same time? Sure, you’re getting to watch your favorite show and get your work done, but how well is your homework completed? Are you getting the full experience of the show you’re watching? The answer is: probably not. Other negatives are that too much information stresses people out. Remember when the first day of school and teachers are giving you the expectations of your classes, what you need, homework, and other information? It can be very overwhelming. There are some positives, like being able to find the exact kind of toothpaste you want, but is it really worth it? Living in rapidly growing times is...