Is+Generation+Y+iCrazy?

Name: Mei En Joy Yeo Student Number: n7690304 Tutor: Abbey Hamilton

 __http://blogs.psychcentral.com/humor/2011/08/ipod-generation-making-you-icrazy/ __

__Artefact__
People battling with mental illness often voice out their thoughts through art. Cartoonist Chato B. Stewart is one such person. Chato, the author behind this cartoon, is a mental health advocate who believes that humour has the power to give hope, healing and aid to mental illness sufferers. He taps on his experience with bipolar disorder to draw provoking and at times funny cartoons. In this cartoon, he points out the extent to which technology has affected us, the people using the iPhone and iPod are depicted as being equally as “crazy” as that the person suffering from a mental illness/disorder.

__Public Health Issue__
In this article, I will be focusing on the impact of technology on the mental health of generation Y which is a generation born between the years 1970s-1990s (Gangadharbatla, 2009). This is a generation that has been born into a digital age thus it is not surprising to see that they are highly reliant on technology in their everyday lives. In light of this, I will be providing a social and cultural analysis of the effects of technology on the mental health of generation Y and the reasons as to why they are so dependent on technology.

__Literature Review__
In the Budget 2011-12, it was announced that the Australian government has dedicated $1.5 billion to mental health initiatives, of which $492 million would be dedicated to children and young people (Australian Government, 2011). This decision made by the Australian government is crucial as mental disorders are found to be the most prevalent among this age group. Approximately half of the 3.2 million people found to have experienced a 12-month mental disorder in the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2007 belonged to generation Y (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007). A similar result was found in a recent study that was conducted in 3 universities in Queensland by Stallman and Shochet (2009) which showed that half of the participants reported increased levels of distress with 20% of them reporting levels that indicated moderate to serious mental disorders. As we can see from the statistics, mental health is indeed an area of concern in this generation.

Generation Y is a generation that has grown up in a digital era where majority of them use the internet, computers, mobile phones or some form of technology on a daily basis. There is no doubt that the high use of technology in this generation has had an impact on their mental wellbeing. Statistics have shown that Generation Y does indeed live up to their description as the Net Generation. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2009), it was found that 72% of Australian household had home internet access while 78% of households had computer access in 2008-2009. Furthermore, a study by Haste (2005) has affirmed this by showing that 72% of the participants in the survey used the internet at least once daily, with 17% of them doing so at least five times a day. This is definitely a cause for concern as researchers have found that there is a strong correlation between internet use and depression (Morrison & Gore, 2010; Sanders, Field,Diego & Kaplan,2000). It was found that those who saw themselves to be reliant on the internet indicated depressive symptoms of higher levels (Morrison & Gore, 2010). In their research, Morrison and Gore (2010) pointed out that those who were found to be addicted to the internet were drawn to 3 main activities namely, internet games, chat rooms and websites containing sexual content. They inferred from these findings that the overengagement in internet activities that substitute social interactions could be related to an individual’s maladaptive psychological functions.

Gen Yers spend most of their time on the internet surfing social networking websites, with Facebook and MySpace being listed as the top ten most popular web pages in Australia (Young, 2009). This has resulted in them replacing “offline” relationships with “online” relationships, causing a negative impact on their social networks. In a study by Lee, Leung, Lo, Xiong and Wu (2009), it was found that the interpersonal communication via the internet is not able to substitute face-to-face communications in the enhancement of the quality of life. The difference between these two types of communication is that online communication lacks the facial and nonverbal expressions and do not require instantaneous responses which results in less satisfaction in terms of social support and interaction.

Offline communication also includes the use of mobile phones which has become commonplace. Smart phones such as the iphone come with features that not only allow people to send text messages but also to surf the internet on the go. Research has found that mobile phones are ranked the highest in terms of technological devices that young people cannot do without and texting was found to be the most frequent activity with 89% of them doing so at least once every day (Haste, 2005). Communication with the use of mobile phones has a similar problem to that of the internet whereby it cannot provide the same emotional support as a face-to-face interaction since these interactions are often short and lack intimacy (Ben-Harush, 2010). In Haste’s (2005) research, it was also found that mobile phones were also a form of identity. 36% of the users surveyed had a snap-on cover and 58% of them reported having a ringtone that was purchased or downloaded which shows their need to be different and unique.

__Cultural and Social Analysis__
Seeing from the research that has shown the high correlation between technology use and mental health, this section will aim to address the question of why generation Y is so dependent on technology which has led to negative impacts on their mental health.

Generation Y is currently in a stage of transition from teenage years to adulthood. It is during this stage that they are forming their identity, realising the importance of a peer group and developing intimate relationships (Pempek, Yermolayeva & Calvert, 2009). Knowing these developmental factors allow us to understand why they have become so dependent on “online” communication but yet it also brings out the flaws in doing so which has resulted in the rise in mental health problems in this generation. Many social networking websites allow users to create their own profile which could include a photo of themselves, their likes and dislikes, background information and many more. Thus, Gen Yers use this as a platform to create their own identity. As the communication style that is used on these websites is one-to-many, creating an online profile allows them to broadcast their profile to the public (Pempek, Yermolayeva & Calvert, 2009). Their sense of identity is also formed when they feel belonged to the “cool” generation where having the latest technological devices such as the iPhone 4s or iPad as it means that they are not left out and are in the loop of the latest technology. Identifying themselves with material objects can be dangerous as it means that their self worth and self esteem is dependent on what others view of them.

Individuals of this generation also form peer groups through the use of social networking sites. It is found that they often use these websites to connect with both close and distant friends (Coyle & Vaughn, 2008). Interacting through these websites allow individuals to be connected to a wider circle of friends and to identify themselves as being part of a community.

In this technologically savvy generation, the search for social interactions is often being satisfied through online means. One huge disadvantage of technology is the lack of physical contact and emotional support. Text messages and online chat are often unable to help us fully express our emotions due to the inability to convey non-verbal messages (Lee, Leung, Lo, Xiong & Wu, 2009). Furthermore, it has been found that young people often use social networking sites to check out what their peers are up to and there is in fact little direct interaction between friends. (Pempek, Yermolayeva, & Calvert, 2009). This is also known as online lurking. As Gen Yers replace a bulk of their face-to-face communications with these online tools, they are unable to receive the emotional support they need. The lack of intimate relationships cause them to keep their feelings to themselves and when these emotions are left unattended or are not attended to appropriately, it can cause a negative impact on their mental health.

I think that what public health experts should focus on is not to tell this generation to avoid the use technology entirely, rather the focus should be on how to integrate technology into their lives in a healthy manner. Alongside with telling them to spend less time on the computer we should also encourage healthier activities that promote face-to-face interactions such as going to the beach or playing a sport with friends. Also, as a generation, there is a need to be less individualistic and to keep a look out for their peers and loved ones because very often, people do not seek help for mental illnesses due to the stigma surrounding it (Barney, Griffiths, Jorm & Christensen,2006) thus it is likely that these young people might suffer in silence. For a change to happen, it must first start from the individuals of generation Y themselves.

__Analysis of Artefact__
Although the cartoon was portrayed in a comical manner and was drawn from the perspective of a mental disorder sufferer, it hides a deeper meaning of the reality that technology has been slowly taking over the lives of generation Y. Has this generation been so overwhelmed by the advancement of technology that they have really gone “crazy”? The author’s use of the phrase “fit-in” shows the extent to which we are reliant on technology. Being addicted to these technological devices has become what society deems as normal or acceptable. It seems that everyone has come to terms with the influence of technology and has in fact caved in to the benefits that it brings. Generation Y do not fully understand what it is like to live without these devices because they have been born into an era where technology had just begun to advance at a much faster pace and thus, they have not experience a world without higher technology. Upon saying this, it is not that technology is bad and should be avoided, however, I feel that this generation needs to begin looking at the extent of their usage and become more aware of the dangers that it brings.

Through the research that I have done, it has opened my eyes to see the extent of the impact that technology has had on this generation. Although I have been aware of the dependence we had on technology, this analysis has allowed me realise why this is the case and has caused me to think critically about ways in which we can deal with this issue.

Reference Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2007). //National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing.// Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4326.0Main%20Features32007?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4326.0&issue=2007&num=&view=

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). //Household use of information technology.// Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8146.0

Australian Government. (2011). //Budget 2011-2012//. Retrieved from http://www.budget.gov.au/2011-12/content/glossy/health/html/health_overview_02.htm

Barney, L. J., Griffiths, K. M., Jorm, A. F., & Christensen, H. (2006). //Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40//(1), 51-54. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1614.2006.01741.x

Ben-Harush, O. (2010). Out of touch? The lack of emotional support over the mobile phone. //Media Asia, 37//(4), 193-204. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/docview/851145190?accountid=13380

Gangadharbatla, H. (2009). Exploring gen y’s motivations to join social networking sites. Media Asia, 36(4), 240-248. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/docview/211508021?accountid=13380

Haste, H. (2005). Joined-up texting: Mobile phones and young people. //Young consumers, 6//(3), 56-67. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/docview/212069805/fulltextPDF?accountid=13380

Kraut, R., Kiesler, S., Boneva, B., Cummings, J., Helgeson, V., & Crawford, A. (2002). Internet paradox revisited. //Journal of Social Issues, 58//(1), 49-74. doi: 10.1111/1540-4560.00248

Lee, P. S. N., Leung, L., Lo, V., Xiong, C., & Wu, T. (2009). Internet communication versus face-to-face interaction in quality of life. //Social Indicators Research, 100//(3), 375-389. doi: 10.1007/s11205-010-9618-3

Morrison, C. M., & Gore, H. (2010). The relationship between excessive internet use and depression: A questionnaire-based study of 1,319 young people and adults. //Psychopathology, 43//(2), 121-126. doi: 10.1159/000277001

Pempek, T. A., Yermolayeva, Y.A. & Calvert, S. L. (2009). College students’ social networking experiences on Facebook. //Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30//(3), 227-238. doi: 10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.010

Sanders, C. E., Field, T. M., Diego, M., & Kaplan, M. (2000). The relationship of internet use to depression and social iosolation among adolescents. Adolescence, 35(138), 237-242. Retrieved from http://find.galegroup.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/gtx/start.do?prodId=HRCA&userGroupName=qut

Stallman, H. M., & Shochet, I. (2009). Prevalence of mental health problems in Australian university health services. //Australian Psychologist, 44//(2), 122-127. doi: 10.1080/00050060902733727

Young, K. (2009). Online social networking: An Australian perspective. //International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society, 7//(1), 39-57. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/docview/223223244?accountid=13380