Does This Make Me An Honorary Member of "Generation Z"?

Apparently they already have their own logo....

Or is this just another boring article?*

As members of what has been dubbed “Generation Z,” a cohort that spans those born roughly between the years 1998 and 2010, today’s teens and tweens have had unparalleled access to technology. Many have had smartphones since elementary, if not middle school. They’ve grown up with high-speed internet, laptops, and social media.

It’s tempting to think that these devices, with their endless ability to stimulate, offer salvation from the type of mind-numbing boredom that is so core to the teen experience. But humans adapt to the conditions that surround them, and technical advances are no different. What seemed novel to one generation feels passé to the next. To many teens, smartphones and the internet have already lost their appeal.

Phone boredom occurs when you’re technically “on your phone,” but you’re still bored out of your mind. It’s that feeling when you’re mindlessly clicking around, opening and closing apps, looking for something to do digitally and finding the options uninteresting.

Whereas previous generations may have scrolled through channels on the radio, wandered into different rooms in their house, or flicked through countless TV channels, today’s teens say they’ll sometimes open and close up to 20-30 apps, hoping that something, anything, will catch their attention.

I was away from my cellphone for a whole day over the weekend, which meant I was away from the intertoobs, too.  It was refreshing.  I spent Easter morning at a cafe, watching people instead of reading websites.  I'd forgotten how interesting people could be.  And it underscored how boring the search for stimulation can become.  Does this mean I'm getting younger, that I'm "in touch" with the kids?  Or does it mean I'm human, and this is kind of a stupid premise?

I prefer to think it means the internet's going to be less of a game changer than we imagined; or rather, it will change the game in ways we didn't consider.  The students from Parkland have put social media to good use, and I understand teachers across the country are doing the same thing to organize strikes and demand attention (finally!) to education.  In that, of course, we're just catching up with movements around the world (once again a day late and a dollar short in America.  Maybe it's "affluenza....").

I dunno.  Maybe.  I guess.  Too bored to care.  Whatever...

*ed. note:  1998-2010?  What, generations are now 12 years long?  Where does that come from?  Aren't there rules to this version of astrology?