Technology = happiness
Last week, I had a debate with a coworker regarding the internet. The discussion was on whether or not the internet makes our lives easier or if it is a time inhibitor. I think the difference is generational. For Millennials, they don't know a world without the internet and technology. Take that away from them and it would be like taking a toy away from a baby.
A recent issue of eMarketer claims that technology is a part of a balanced life for most youths and keeps them upbeat.
Young people age 13 to 24 today are generally very happy and optimistic about the future, according to an MTV-Associated Press study conducted by Knowledge Networks in April 2007.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they were happy with the way things were going in their lives in general, and 62% thought they would be even happier in the future. Only one-fifth said they were unhappy.
"Nearly two-thirds of the young people surveyed said they think that the Internet, instant messaging, cell phones and other technologies make people happier, and 61% said those things make them feel closer to their family," said eMarketer senior analyst Debra Aho Williamson. "You simply cannot separate young people from technology; it is part of who they are."
Respondents generally said living without technology would be stressful. Nearly half of young people never turn off their mobile phones, even when they're trying to relax or "chill out."
Harris Interactive asked kids and teens in October 2006 what things made them happy. Having a PC made more than half of both groups happy.
Personally, I am old enough to remember life before the internet. I really don't know how we ever survived.
