Society, The Social Plague

Curiosity killed the cat, right? What about teenagers? What happened to them? Oh, that’s right… Society killed the teenager. According to a survey done in 2012 by the Stage of Life, an American website where students are able to share their experiences and stories, more than half (52% to be exact) of high school and college students feel that social media pressures them to change their body image. This just goes to show us how powerful society truly is. “It’ll be okay”, these are the very words that almost every teenager has heard this from parents, older siblings, relatives, or friends. Despite this, every teenager believes the exact opposite. We live in a society that is constantly changing and there’s no stopping it. The evolution of paradigms, social standards expected by society, and the rise in technology and social media make teenagers feel that every single move they make will catch them in the long run.

Society will never stay the same. Think about it: within one year, how many new trends or fads jump into the mix? There are so many changes that occur in every aspect of society including music, fashion and economy to list a few. Many sets of assumptions, concepts and values that represent a view of reality are bounced around in society. These are paradigms – they exist everywhere. We are exposed to paradigms on a daily basis or we might even be one ourselves without even realizing. One noticeable change is curse words. They have transformed in such a manner that the original meaning of the words have been lost. Decades ago, the term “gadzooks” was viewed as profanity. The connotative definition of this word has gradually evolved over the years, as evident by the modern use swear words. People often reminisce on past ex...

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... in turn, devolved our own species. We are now deprived of the very basic human social interactions.

Over time, everything changes. It’s a funny thing. We’re never quite sure of what we’re becoming or why. Then one day we look at ourselves and wonder who we are and how we got there. And truth be told, as time passes more and more changes are going to happen and there’s nothing we can do to prevent it. The development in paradigms, social standards, and prominence of social media and technology have caused all people, but especially teenagers, to excessively worry over the little things in life. It’s within this moment, that even the littlest things can affect how we feel, think, and act. But ask yourself this: Is what you’re worrying about now going to be worth the stress in 20 years? As Richard Carlson says: “Don't sweat the small stuff….and it’s all small stuff”.