Growing Up in The Digital Age

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    Ever since I can remember I always had access to a computer. I remember using a very bulky and slow computer when I was as young as 5 years old. To think I would be using a smartphone today that contains more processing power than the rocket that brought the first men to the moon absolutely blows my mind. I have never felt like any information has been out of my grasp at any point in time. Older generations, I would assume, would have questions that were virtually unanswerable without a computer. It is an incredible advantage we, as digital natives, possess that would only be possible with technological advances people could not dream of less than 50 years ago.

     

    For example, how many windows do you think are in the Empire State Building? I can imagine my father strolling down the street in New York City with my Grandfather on 5th avenue asking him how many windows there are in what was once the tallest building on earth. I am willing to bet neither of them would come up with the exact right answer as they shrug their shoulders and forget about it. I literally just looked it up seven seconds ago and can tell you, with certainty, that there are exactly 6,500 windows in the Empire State Building. A simple google search can make any answer you would ever need available within seconds. It almost feels like some sort of superpower to attain knowledge with the snap of my fingers.

    Humans are naturally curious. We all have an inherent and instinctual need to possess new information on a regular basis to enrich our lives with the gift of virtually infinite knowledge. With the use of personal devices, it is not hard to become extremely well versed in any topic imaginable. I can sit at my desk and within a few hours knew exponentially more about a topic of my choosing.

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    Ready for another example? Have you ever heard of Joseph Lister? Ten minutes ago, I had not either. Lister was a British Surgeon who was responsible for tricks that would help keep humans alive before, during and after surgery. He came up with concepts like doctors cleaning their hands, wearing clean scrubs, cleaning wounds and sterilizing surgical equipment. He revolutionized the medical field and almost no one knows who he is. I did a quick search of “important people in history no one knows” and now I know more about this man’s life than a vast majority of people.

    These unbelievable advancements in technology, such as the smartphones and personal computer, are giving younger generations a tremendous leg up over earlier generations. I have already seen kids as young as four years old using tablets and computers with relative ease. That being said, these young kids even have a leg up on me and I think of myself as fairly “tech savvy.” To think that my first cellphone was a flip phone, that was pretty much only useful for calls and short texts, is crazy when you consider kids that cannot even read yet are operating iPads without any issue.

    To me, the future looks very bright. The craziest thing is that this technology is only going to grow faster and stronger as we build from the benchmark of the greatest minds before us. Oh… and by the way, the mouthwash brand Listerine was named after Joseph Lister just in case you were wondering.

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    • Alex Mirabella

      Contributor

      Hey I'm Alex. I am a senior at The College of New Jersey and I am a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity as well as a member of the TCNJ wrestling team. I am a business management major and will graduate in May (fingers crossed). I write about what I like and hopefully you all like what I put out. Follow me on instagram: @almirabellaex and friend me on Facebook.

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