As a high school teacher, I like to think I keep my finger on the pulse of what the younger generation is thinking or saying. No, I’m not going to pretend that I “get them” entirely. I just think I’m a little more connected than most adults simply by virtue of my job.
Lately, listening to my students talk over the last few years, a lot of them have pretty much resigned themselves to the fact that they’re never going to own a home in their lifetime. I see Kid 1 trying to finance college—thankfully on a full scholarship—but now that he’s living in an apartment for the first time, he has to deal with paying bills and adulting. I give him credit; he works hard. Both at his job and with his schoolwork. Even if he had to take out student loans, the amounts aren’t what they used to be, which is probably a good thing so he doesn’t end up like me and countless other members of my generation.
In a lot of ways, this generation doesn’t have it easier. While they seem more tolerant of one another, the one thing I still have a very hard time coming to terms with is the pervasiveness of technology in their lives.
The Instagram Reel I was looking at talks specifically about dating apps—and the invisible architecture behind them. It’s not really a wild conspiracy to say dating apps aren’t interested in helping you find the love of your life as much as they are in keeping you coming back. After all, if they set everybody up with Mr. or Ms. Right, they would put themselves out of business. No company can ever be successful if they exist to attract customers only to eventually render themselves obsolete.
The guy in the Reel talks about how young people don’t even dance anymore. Social media has made them utterly camera-shy because they know there are hundreds of thousands of digital eyes and cameras around them at any given moment. It’s like living in a prison where you can’t even see the watchers.
I get it; online dating is just a part of our lives now. Just about everybody I’ve dated since my divorce has been someone I met through an app or social media. Hell, even Sierra—with whom I am on cloud nine right now—we met on a dating app. The difference with Sierra is it took me seven years to ask her out. But maybe that’s the difference. We actually got to know each other, albeit indirectly, before going out. Online dating introduced us to one another, but we ended up doing the rest of the heavy lifting.
Holy shit, did her and I find a way to beat the system?
Maybe posts like this are just me being an old man yelling at the clouds. But I do think we need some guardrails for technology. It reminds me of classic Star Trek—that recurring theme where humanity’s tools and weapons grow infinitely faster than our collective wisdom. We are capable of doing so many amazing things with technology, but we rarely stop to check the ethical ramifications of what we’re building.
And hell, maybe I’m a hypocrite for leaning on AI for editing or revision assistance. But I don’t think I ever let the machine do the real work. All the core ideas, the lived experience, and the messy truths still come from me. If I’m going to hold the rest of the world under a microscope, I have to be willing to do the same to myself.
Proof of that lived right under my roof this past week. Kid 2 taped a note to the wall in our house: “I HATE THE MODERN WORLD (so freaking much).” I’ve always joked that he’s an old soul, a total analog kid living in a digital world. But the sentiment behind that scrawled-out piece of paper is a feeling I hear echoed by his entire generation.
They don’t like the way the world is today. They wish things were different. They are intensely aware of the perils and pitfalls of this all-encompassing digital presence.
They want something different. They want to go back to a simpler time. And honestly? There is no neat bow to put on this. All we can do is leave it right there.
Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Having crossed the 1,000-day milestone, I’m now charting the territory beyond. The mission remains the same: No glitz. Just the work. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint and the ‘Tricorder’ perspective behind the rebuild.
Today’s post is inspired by the WordPress Daily Prompt. While I’ve taken the topic in my own direction for the Road beyond 1,000 Days, you can find more responses to today’s prompt HERE.
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AI art created by Google Gemini
The article “Living in the Panopticon” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob
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