Impacts of Media Technology on Teenagers

Today we are living in a revolutionary world and within seconds, several bombardments of new inventions are happening around the globe, media technology being one of them. Media technology has changed our lives giving us the freedom to perform activities from the comfort of our homes. For example, it has made communication easier and quicker, a document now takes a few seconds to reach anywhere in the world compared to regular mail which takes several days with the involvement of several individuals to reach its destination. If we look at our daily life, we can see a reflection of technology everywhere in our lives, such as TV, telephones, computers, cell phones, PDA, text messages, email, internet, online banking, booking a vacation, GPS, online shopping, online education, online liberalities, online books, online gaming and much more.

By the end of 20^th century we can observe that media technology and its effects are as powerful as it were never before. The invention of the cell phone, appearance of computers, laptops, and internet communication has become a vital link in communicating with others. It has become inseparable part of our life and it is everywhere and it is impossible to escape them. Teenagers all over the world are growing up in a world, where the Internet, cell phones, text messaging and other technology dominates the communication and it is an integral part of everyday life.

Technology has changed rapidly; it is hard to predict what will happen in the next six months. If we ask a question whether media technology is good or bad, I believe there is no answer to this question. Technology is a double edge sword; it can be used for good purposes or for bad purposes.

The evolving technology has a strong impact on individual’s life and especially teenagers as they are vulnerable to change. “Research shows that teens tend to be more impulsive than adults, and they may not think as clearly as adults about the consequences of what they do,” (-Jessica Rich, Federal Trade Commission). (Read more)

The story of media in young people’s lives today is primarily a story of technology facilitating increased consumption. We created this blog to promote awareness to most common media technologies that have influenced teenagers’ lives today i.e. Internet, TV, Cell Phones, Gaming, Music and Print Media.