The idea that young people today have a damaging relationship with digital technology that leaves them insufficiently grounded in the real world and psychologically and socially undeveloped — is not just an old person’s lament. Young people also express those concerns.
A 2023 survey found that 80 percent of Gen Z adults — that is, those born after 1997 — were worried that their generation was too dependent on technology.
Sixty percent of Gen Z adults said that they wished they could return to a time before everyone was “plugged in.”
That, of course, would involve returning to a time that largely predates their own lives.
The oft-noted increase in sales of vinyl records, CDs, physical books and board games is driven only in part by older adults looking to revisit their youth. Young people who grew up on digital entertainments are also a major force behind this retro resurgence.
Nostalgia helps people thrive in the present and build a better future. Even spending a few minutes reflecting on a fond memory or listening to an old familiar song can improve your mood, increase feelings of belonging and instill a sense of meaning in life.
For most people, most of the time, it is a stabilizing and energizing force.
Members of Gen Z appear to be mining the past to enrich their present lives — especially by fostering a greater appreciation for offline living.
One social media user, for example, described being inspired to buy “a large photo album and high-quality photo printer” because the user was emotionally moved that previous generations created physical photo albums and shared them with visitors to their homes.
In media, styles, hobbies or traditions from bygone eras 78 percent pf Gen Z said they believed that new technologies and products should incorporate ideas and design elements from these periods. Moreover, roughly two-thirds reported that exploring eras that predate their lives helped them when they were stressed out about modern life or anxious about the future.
Also, millennials and Gen X-ers also experienced high levels of historical nostalgia compared with baby boomers and the silent generation.
For example, the practice of listening to an entire vinyl record is a valuable exercise in sustained focus, since you can’t toggle away on Spotify to another album or song or click on a YouTube video halfway through. But the practice may also be teaching young people broader lessons — say, that they can take a long walk in nature without having to check their phones until they return. Even something as simple as a board game night with friends may help them feel more comfortable and confident in professional social settings.
With the rise of artificial intelligence, all eyes are on the future. But it is worth looking to the past, as Gen Z appears to be doing, to reveal the future we actually want.
Source: NYT
