Out of tune. Uninformed. Spoiled. Superficial. The litany of criticisms excoriating Millennials is endless. “Why do you always have to be looking down at your phone?” older generations ask, “look up!” But as for the question at hand: have social media and smartphones made me a more distracted person? Yes, I believe it has; however, it is important to note that this “distraction” isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
While I concede there is some credence in previous generations’ claims that social media has become a point of obsession for some, one must remember that social media is multi-faceted of which the so-called “selfie culture” is only one part. Social media serves as a platform for public discourse on matters of race, gender politics, domestic and international affairs, etc. And with more and more news media companies expanding their digital presence with apps and social media, my smartphone can toss me
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The country was set ablaze with heated arguments about race and police brutality—so to was social media. My smartphone, with its news and social media applications, became an expansive library where I could sift through thousands of sources; a gaping auditorium where I could listen to lectures on the subject; or a Roman forum where people could come forward and share their personal experiences with the issue. For the first time, I was able to really dig deep into the reality of race in America. The ordeal fomented in me one of the greatest passions of my life: combating racial inequality in the United States and I credit the richness of the various opinions I found on social media with laying the foundations for my understanding of the weighty subject. The sheer amount of information being exchanged at the time may have “distracted” me (I spent a lot of time researching), but I believe it was warranted for I emerged a stronger, smarter, more informed