In 2018, people are more connected than ever due to the increase and spread in technology. Advanced technology and social media apps allow anyone to post what they please with the ability to be seen by anyone in the world at any time; but it’s hard to be well known if you aren’t connected. Teenagers’ problems go well beyond their own and extend to those they’ve never met. They throw themselves into the lives of others: especially those with a large following. Focusing more on the lives of celebrities than issues going on with their own lives, or educating themselves on government issues which will affect them later on.

    With Twitter and Snapchat being teens’ biggest news sources, according to buisinessinsider.com, it’s no surprise that some choose to just simply ignore the news. It’s easy to just glance over a story or tweet that feels just a little too real and continue scrolling on as if it’s not there. This generation is blessed with insanely easy access to news and stories, but many choose to focus on the Kardashians and various music artists instead of focusing on current events and news. There’s an issue with shying away from real life issues and living vicariously through celebrities.

     Is this shift in attention becoming an issue? Mrs. Marshall shares her opinion on this  problem.

    “Kids are really disenfranchised from what’s going on politically,” said Marshall. “They have a feeling like it’s never going to be their problem, when it is.”

    Disassociating ourselves has become a trend. Teenagers tend to exclude themselves because they feel it doesn’t affect them; even though they will be the ones growing up and living in such a politically active time in American history. Perhaps social media could be a link to the disinterest of politics with teenagers.

    Marty Johnston, a social studies teacher, talks about the availability of distractions in this day and age.

    “I think now the ability to become immersed in distractions is just that much easier,” explained Johnston.

    The access of technology has significantly increased within the last ten years. It’s no surprise that teenagers are easily distracted with other information; but should social media be blamed for students disinterest in politics?

     “I don’t know if it is necessarily fair to say that it’s maybe because of social media,” said Johnston. “The trend has continued to grow because of available distractions.”    

     A disassociation with politics has been a trend in this generation’s teens. We tend to let ourselves get distracted with other things which, in turn, takes us away from important political issues that we should be involving ourselves in. We as teens should be more involved in politics than ever. Teens are the future, and only a small percentage are concerned about what goes on as they grow.

    However, bringing the shift of interest is easier said than done.

    “I don’t know what’s going to shift that paradigm for young people to realize that social responsibility isn’t just something for others, it’s a thing for them as well,” said Marshall.

    Lack of awareness of the reality of social responsibility could potentially be another reason for this attention shift. Twitter and other platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat are often used to slander others: instead of being used for their real intentions.

    This is not representative of the whole population.Data provided by a survey of West Albany students says that 68.5 percent of students said social media makes teenagers more aware of their political surroundings. With the connections this generation has, the amount of information we can access is substantial. Within the matter of seconds, we as a society can inform ourselves on any topic we choose. It’s the motivation and choice to learn that students are lacking. With the knowledge of the whole world at our fingertips, we should not choose to be uninformed.