Henig's 'What Is It About 20-Somethings'

Young adults seem to be achieving adulthood at a later time in life. Whether it’s college students going back to their home or living on their parents budget late into their lives, many adolescents seem to be achieving adulthood less and less in their twenties than generations before. In Henig’s article titled, “What Is It About 20-Somethings”, she states that “getting to what we would generally call adulthood is happening later than ever” (200). Trying to explain this new advancement, Henig sources Professor Jeffrey Arnett, who has introduced the rise of a new life stage, identified by exploring one 's identity, self-focus, and endless possibilities for the prospect called “emerging adulthood”. A bulk of the blame for the development of Arnett’s new stage of life that Henig explores can be sourced on the recent popularity of social media that is discussed in Maria Konnikova’s article “The Limits of Friendship”. Some of the negative results of the increasing use of social media are a greater change of friend groups and acquaintances, increased awareness of the livelihood of our fellow peers, and more exposure to the world around us. With all these results, it is easy to see why young adults continue to become distant and flexible later on in their lives than those of previous generations. One of the most prominent consequences of the continued use of social media is the increase in average age of

The five milestones, as listed in Henig’s article are, “completing school, leaving home, becoming financially independent, marrying and having a child” (200). Although most of these accomplishments appear to directly oppose the general idea that young adults should be able to focus on themselves and be able to freely choose how they live their life. However, the one most affected by social media is the milestone of becoming