Technology has spoiled us, and that’s a great thing

“Entitled” is a popular way to describe the younger generations these days.

We young people seem so eager to get that which we may not deserve. We expect the world to bend to our every whim and wish. Did our parents treat us differently than their parents did them? Sure, but that’s not the whole story.

Why is it that so many young people seem entitled?

One word: Technology.

Life has become easier and easier now for multiple generations.

New technologies arise constantly making various aspects of life that much easier. Recently the rise of the microchip, the internet, and social media has created a level of connection unseen by any previous generation. Do you think “kids have it easy these days”? If so, you’d be right.

We have grown up with *All* of the answers at our fingertips.

We have grown up with direct access to the lives of the celebrity. We have grown up in a world so full of life easing technologies that we have come to expect a certain level of ease from nearly everything we do. Our attention spans have gone down, and our tolerance for pain has gone with it.

It’s no wonder so many seem to feel that the younger generations are the most entitled generations.

The truth is, we are. But it’s not entirely our fault. Every generation of humanity has made an impact on the world in order to make it “a better place”. Many times this comes in the form of technology, and sometimes its more political.

If each generation makes the world an easier place, the younger generations inevitably become more entitled than those before them. Don’t we all wish for our children to lead better lives than we did? Have more opportunity than we did? Welcome to the aftermath of such positive thinking!

The truth is that we are more entitled than any generation before us.

In the short term that causes a bit of distress. Sorry Mom and Dad, but I really do like your basement! The good news is we all have to grow up sometime and like every “troubled” generation before us inevitably we mature and make our own positive marks on the world.

The savvy among us create apps, devices, and businesses whenever they stumble upon a process which could be made easier.

Humans were already pretty good at finding problems and trying to fix them. In an age of constant entitlement, we have become hyper sensitive of problems to solve.

While there are spoiled among us, it is no different than any generation of the past.

The main difference now is hyper awareness. 24/7 media, social media, and overall connectedness means we are constantly aware of the misdeeds of the human race. Decades ago there wasn’t a world wide bulletin board for the younger generations to post their angst on, but they still had angst.

The world has changed and always will be changing.

Our systems lag behind doing their best to catch up. We feel this the most in places like politics, corporate policy, and the education system. There will always be some disconnect between these systems and perfect relevancy, as there always has been. Society is an ever changing ever growing organism, and sometimes we have growing pains.

Complain all you want about entitled youngsters, or step back and look at the reasons behind the perceived entitlement.

I assure you the world isn’t going to crumble because some young kids aren’t getting everything they want. Sure there is still some learning(growing up) to do, but we all could use some of that.