It’s unfortunate as a teenager in this day and age to have never experienced what life would be like without an iPhone.

Technology has taken a vast impact on current and future generations. The first iPhone, created by Steve Jobs, was released June 29, 2007. The innovation quickly caught individuals’ admiration. With many new benefits, the iPhone grew into more advanced models as time went on. 

Generations born after 2007 or even a couple years before then may not be able to grasp how to form connections without the use of technology. 

In the years prior to the iPhone, the main source of technology was a small device called the flip phone. Prior to the flip phone, a landline mounted on the wall instead. The landline was a much larger and heavier item solely used for phone calls. The evolution of technology has had an impact on society since the flip phone and landlines first came out.

The average lifestyle today is built on technology, although there have been times when everyday life did not consist of using an iPhone. 

It’s as if humans cannot interact with one another without the use of technology, which has strained this generation’s ability to form meaningful relationships.

Was life Simpler?

  Going back as far as the 1950s, people relied on newspapers or the radio to retrieve information, whereas today we rely on social media and advanced technology to keep us updated. 

As a teen in this generation, an insight of what it was like to live in a generation where technology was not nearly as advanced can change our perspectives on how we take use of our time. 

Linda Chilldress, born in 1953, stated, “It was very different because we did not have constant contact with family and friends. If you wanted to hangout with friends, you had to call them on the landline.” 

Past generations seem to have felt more connected to one another. People had to interact face to face more often. 

Señora Degreiner, a Spanish teacher at Pentucket Regional High School, quotes, “Because of my experience, people could develop social skills in a better way before cell phones and the internet.” 

Those of previous generations may have a different outlook on what defines good social skills. How we interact with another person in our day to day life can define the way adolescents ascend to adulthood. Although we are young, we want those older than us to see us as respectful, mature, and noble. 

For the later generations, a landline was the only source of communication there was  available. It was the only source that did not consist of a touch screen and endless amounts of scrolling and texting. “We could just enjoy life without added pressures,” says Chilldress. 

We truly do not comprehend how much of our lives is based off of a screen. 

Despite the reach for quicker communication and information today, society may have been in more modest shape before the invention of the iPhone.

Has the Iphone Impacted Current Generations?

Some admit the access technology has brought to this generation needs to be regulated in order to maintain the balance between people and technology. “I think while it’s great to have access to other people, I also think technology should have limits,” says Kristen Bub, a teacher at Pentucket.

 As important as it is to have communication with the people around us, there is a fine line between communication and overconsumption. A great example of that overconsumption is the negative effect social media has on tenagers in their day to day life.

Bub feels as though, “We take everything as truth from the very beginning by having social media, there’s no personal connections.” This implies how often we see images and videos of others, often comparing our lives to them.

  The effect social media has on teens can shield them from the real world, affecting self -esteem and social skills. Someone who has lived through a time where social media was not a part of their lives may have a stronger sense of how to treat others and go out into the real world. 

Degrenier feels as though life was a lot simpler without the use of social media because “there was no cyber bullying and nobody felt left out. We did not worry about who was texting us or what was being posted,” Degrenier says.

It’s clear the usage of social media has caused teenagers to feel less of themselves. Social media can introduce standards that we feel the need to act upon. We hyperfocus on a small detail of life that in reality is only important through the view of a screen. 

We often find ourselves with a low self-esteem, a feeling that can drag us down, continuing to affect us time after time. Our self-esteem shapes us into who we are, it controls our mental state. 

The concept of having low self esteem is not only feeling unhappy about the way we see ourselves, but also how others see us. 

Although not everyone has negative thoughts to share on social media, many state their opinions in harsh ways, which can affect someone by simply sending a notification to their iPhone. 

The entirety of iPhone use and social media will continue to evolve in years to come. There’s not much we can do to change that. 

It’s important to know what’s valuable to us in our lives and when as a society we must acknowledge the level of negativity behind social media consumption.