The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

Generation Y full of its own quirks

“Why should students pay for school when they can’t pay attention? The whole idea behind going to college and getting a degree is to hopefully increase your job opportunities, but that’s only part of it. College also exists to give clarification to those troubled minds who haven’t quite figured out what they want to do or where they want to go.”

Why should students pay for school when they can’t pay attention?

The whole idea behind going to college and getting a degree is to hopefully increase your job opportunities, but that’s only part of it.

College also exists to give clarification to those troubled minds who haven’t quite figured out what they want to do or where they want to go.

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If you’re sitting in class texting, instant messaging or checking e-mail, however, you may have already missed the boat.

How can anyone possibly take in everything a professor says when students these days can’t even focus for more than seven seconds, let alone a class an hour and a half long?

Studies today claim that our generation has grown more accustomed to multitasking then previous generations, but it seems that most of those other things students focus on are more of a distraction and less of a task.

Students can’t be the only ones to blame though, when considering how flashy and trendy all that new technology is.

After all, cell phones and computers are constantly being upgraded, and who doesn’t want the latest and greatest?

It certainly is convenient for advertisers and when we demand consumerism, they supply materialism.

Maybe it’s not that our generation is being constantly distracted and brainwashed by media and technology, but rather they just don’t care.

Collegeuniversity.com just recently published an article on their web site classifying our generation, known as Generation Y, with a few specific traits.

To summarize, the article states that Generation Y is too comfortable with technology.

We might not think about it, but we are the first generation to not know what life was like without computers and cell phones.

This goes hand in hand with multi-tasking and is the primary thing that distracts us from classes, homework and other day-to-day tasks.

The article goes on to state that we are also cynical.

At one time it seemed like youth were generally involved in politics, but since our generation grew up during a time where we’ve always had the right to vote, it no longer feels like a privilege.

If you take into account all of the disillusionment caused by government scandals and chatastrophic events such as 9/11, it makes sense why we lose interest in government participation.

The Web site also says we love consumerism.

Advertising sharks know how large our demographics are and since our previous generations find it harder to use technology, marketing focuses on grabbing our attention.

We are also used to dealing with economic and political crisis, where as past generations had not seen them coming.

Whether or not this is the case, we are much different from our predecessors.

We possess different skills, attributes, attitudes and quicker access to information and thanks to all of those things many people feel that they have already mapped out the course for the rest of their lives.

This kind of mentality can be viewed as ambitious but it can also lead to problems.

After all, how can anyone excel if they do not first slow down to take some advice?

Professors are real people who have already climbed the ladder of success and wish to pass their knowledge unto us still have some credibility.

If you don’t believe that last statement, just Google it.

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