Overly Connected

So, as an experiment of sorts I searched "millennial generation" on Google Images, and this is the first result. Huh. Obviously, Millennials have a reputation for being rather obsessed with social networking. But this representation also implies the presence of extreme stress in the modern adolescent. Is this stress caused by being overly connected via technology? Are the very tools that supposedly make life easier stressing us out? It certainly seems that way. When I get back to my dorm, I first check my phone to make sure no one has called or texted. Then I check all three of my e-mail accounts and reply as necessary. Then I check Facebook to make sure no one has sent me a message or tagged a picture of me I don't like. And then I can start on homework in peace. I'm not even on MySpace or Twitter; I'm not very tech-oriented. My routine sounds a little ridiculous, but I am sure that many of my peers have similar ones. The stress factor comes in when you are supposed to know something (via e-mail, text, etc.) and you don't and someone gets frustrated.

When examining the "unraveling" aspect of this picture, I also began thinking about if actually our generation's "obsession" with sites like Facebook and Twitter is actually only a way to deal with ever-increasing societal pressure to succeed. With college admissions more competitive than ever, scholarships more and more prized, and jobs few and far between, today's young people are more stressed than ever. So maybe they use Facebook and the like to relax, at least for a bit. For some, it indeed becomes an obsession. How can society reconcile the success and overall welfare of its young people? Is it even possible?