The nature of some of the most notable technological advances are ones of communication and social presence. This is largely the result of a growing market for such devices; there has been a "need" and a timely "use" for interfaces like iphone and facebook. Are these things contemporary solutions to contemporary issues? Are they assisting us in navigating a novel world that would have otherwise been unmanageable? Or, are they feeding off the humanistic qualities that have always been the very source of culture, leaving none for the rest of us.
Although it's evident that the technological revolution has influenced people of all ages, it's clear that social technology and it's apparatus are predominant in what could be deemed as, "a younger generation". The "younger generation", has always been characterized by how they interact with the community at large and for the most part, the manner in which they do so contrasts that of the previous generation. There is always a certain degree of nonconformity and rebellion in the new style of life that the young create for themselves. In order to establish the "brand new thing", participants create new aspects of community in which they can perfect their new role. Theatre, rock n' roll, punk rock, spandex, leather, tight jeans, bell bottom jeans, ripped jeans, bleached jeans, and club music are all examples of circumstances created by those who looked to define the new era. What they all have in common, is that they all require the individual to actually, participate, physically in the trend. By creating a physical identity in a physical world, one can always refer back to oneself in order to re-contextualize himself or herself in the community. It acts as an anchor, a foundation, a real existence. It also takes guts to represent yourself not only internally, but in the surrounding environment as well. This wonderful cartoon shows an adolescent, whom, through a commonality in our culture have come to see as tech savy and contemporary, mourning the loss of the physicality of his identity. We can see that he has made substantial effort to identify with himself outwardly through piercings and garb. And still, he feels the need to surround himself, even to a greater degree with real symbols of his existence- i.e. an actual birthday card. The "trend" thats being created for him currently, is increasingly virtual and doesn't require him to be anything more than present should he wish to participate. His demeanor shows that this is simply not enough. We need to see ourselves reflected in the actual world in order to identify with it. Lonliness, I'd argue, is a physical condition and must be addressed outwardly as much inwardly. As an even younger generation becomes curious to discover who they are and what place they have in this world, a half hearted grouping of virtual "text" won't cut it. A tangible card from a friend will always be real evidence, of a real existence, on a real day, where you really got older. Fer real.
