Teens and their Gadgets

By Jamere McIntosh age, 18

Picture this, a group scene with four friends. However instead of talking with each other one is on her cell phone, one is listening to music on her ipod, one is on his laptop and the other is sitting waiting for one of her friends to finish what they’re doing. This brings me to my question, are electronics making teens more introverted?

When we hear the word “introvert” (a person unmindful of the outside world) we may think that a mentally unstable, or even psychotic person is being described, so we would feel insulted for someone to use this word to describe us. But let’s take a moment to look at another way in which the word can be used to describe how teenagers have been affected by being exposed to the new technological gizmos and gadgets of today such as the famous cell phone and MP3 player (ipod) and the computer to an extent.

This might not apply to everyone, but speaking from personal experience, owning all of these has had somewhat of an affect on me. Over the past year, I have found that I can spend countless hours locked away in my room or in some secluded place surfing the net on my laptop, uploading and listening to music from my MP3 player, or using my cell phone. I believe that these gadgets have made many teenagers become more introverted.

The mere fact that no one else has to be around for these to entertain us, along with the unlikelihood that we would feel lonely if we happen to keep to ourselves while using our cell phones or ipods prove this. If you are a more outgoing or sociable person it may be hard to believe that you can become an introvert, but I believe that there is a way you can determine this. For example when I’m around my family and friends I try to enjoy their company and not get lost in the latest electronic gadgets. However, if you are finding that even when you’re around others you’re still interacting with your gadgets instead of those around you then maybe, just maybe you’re a little bit introverted. There’s no need to feel strange about enjoying the latest electronic devices, but how about coming up for air and enjoying the company of those physically present around you every now and again?