The Youth is Wasted on the Young

The youth of today are a fascinating species. They have their own language, their own sense of cool and they beat to their own drum.

Some say, that youth is wasted on the young. While this statement may be true, it's undeniable that the youth of today are shaping our world - they are the future. They are continually adding to society and dictating the economic market. In "The Merchants of Cool" we saw the extensive study that corporate America undergoes to harness the 150 billion dollar industry: the teenager.
Teenagers "want to be cool, they are impressionable, and they have the cash. Teenagers want to spend their money, they have a disposable income" and so, they are viewed as the biggest cash market. "If you don't understand and recognize what they are thinking and what they are feeling, you will lose" (Merchants of Cool, 1995-2008).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YuO8Zw9vJo

Throughout this semester we looked at a number of Alternative Texts that young people encounter everyday.

[definition: Alternative Texts: a "text" can be anything and everything. A text can be read from a variety of ways, both positive and negative. For example: Barbie can be read as an empowering toy that promotes creativity and individuality OR she can be read as encouraging a negative body image that causes anger, jealousy and possible eating disorders among young children. The term Alternative refers to texts that out of the norm, new, and exciting]

Instead of reading Barbie, young people read more "popular" texts: cell phones, Google, Facebook, computers, credit cards etc. They are immersed in a technological society and without technology they feel lost. They are continually pushing companies to create newer, cooler technologies that will ultimately make them "cool."

I think as future educators we should take this technological phenomenon seriously. If we don't recognize and understand what our students are thinking, what they are feeling, and what they doing outside of the classroom then we will never be able to reach them and teach them. We have to make our lessons, assignments and projects more exciting so the students aren't bored.

Throughout the semester we learned about a number of alternative texts through topical presentations. While a number of these were specifically directed at the classroom, they all had one concept in common: Toggling

[Definition: Toggling: the switching of attention between one or more texts/ideas]

Young people (future students) seem to be obsessed with speed: with speed comes multitasking (toggling), with multitasking comes divided attention, with divided attention comes lower attention spans. As the attention span lowers the notion of sitting quietly and reading a book becomes laughable. In today's society, the young adult will read a book, listen to music, watch TV, and text their friends all at the same time. If the book seems boring, students will turn to SparkNotes or GradeSaver, both of which are available online.

Younger generations of today are interacting and evolving with technology faster than the previous generation: technology has become the new universal language among teenagers and young people. Reading an actual book is no longer cool anymore, if there's a book to be read, it has to be done online. The computer, the cellphone, and the ipod have become the pen and paper of literature, math, and entertainment. This is a scary thought, especially for teachers who are technological doorknobs.

Bibliography:

"The Merchants of Cool." (Mar. 2008). PBS Frontline. YouTube. 20 Mar. 2009 .