Gen Z Loves Technology

• Seanna Farrow, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2017

The development of my mind stops the minute I look at a screen,
There are dangers to the phones and laptops we use,
This is what some may say,
But it gets forgotten throughout our day,
As we watch T.V. or a documentary,
I am still learning,
My mind is still expanding and developing,
But what about the moment it stops that,
The moment we log on to social media and feel neglect,
There dangers to the phones and laptops we use,
The screens we numbly stare into,
We wait there for something fulfilling to happen…
And then we wait some more,

We then sit down for dinner,
Each and every night,
We hear stories from our families that make us fearful inside,
Why haven’t I lived the way they have,
Why can’t I create something from nothing?

There is no truth to the products we buy,
they fill our days so we no longer watch as they pass away,
but watching that process slowly fade is what sparks thought,
the thought and creativity throughout a simple life,
those sparks become greater if we are wise,
but with our eyes glued to a screen of any kind…
we miss that,
we miss the opportunity to have our individual life,
because now we are influenced by people online,

I continue to listen to the stories my parents tell me,
They did interesting things outside to fill their time,
They met new people and were not afraid to make new friends,
Now we are stuck in a time where people are categorized,
You there,
Me here,
The groups will divide because we think with our 400 followers we have enough,
Enough friends to last a life time,
It’s a sad thing,

Even the friends we do have can never be as real as they used to
When people in our generation would rather text,
Words sent,
Just words,
no emotions,
They are playing a guessing game of what people are truly thinking,

Real life no edits face to face contact is a beautiful thing,
If it is used in the right way, it truly can stop discrimination and hate.
Yet some can still be destroyed by word of mouth,
But not as often as with those phones we see around town,

There are dangers to the phones and laptops we use,
But we decide how high a risk.

Even as you are reading this now you don’t know it,
the way I say the feelings I have towards these words written down in an order I found okay,
It’s just my opinion I express in words,
No propaganda to the way we live today,
As you read this it will not strike a spark of thought,
But as you think of the message later without a screen in your face,
Maybe you’ll be the one to finally understand the human race?