Being dubbed the "user generated generation" definitely has its perks as well as faults. According to TIME Magazine articles, "You -- Yes, You -- Are TIME's Person of the Year," "Power to the People," Enough About You," and "Your Web, Your Way" the present-day population has undergone a revolution of everything we thought was possible, all thanks to the world wide web and a little thing we like to call Web 2.0.
In the article, "Enough About You," Brian Williams discusses the concept of a "user generated generation" where the everything references the first person singular, and how we are convinced that our thoughts, opinions and ideas are all so crucial and interesting that we NEED to share them with the rest of the world. Williams also mentions how, "today, everyone gets celebrated...," but at what price? Children are receiving trophies not for winning but for merely entering and participating. We are beginning to feel entitled to everything as a result being over praised. This is effecting our work ethic, our attitudes and our overall lives. In addition to all this, we are now making our lives more public than ever before. Blogs have turned into viral diaries, tweets and status updates share your current emotions, and foursquare lets you check in and announce exactly where you are. With so many ways to express ourselves, are we really showing our true emotions or are we just inflating the positive aspects of our lives and sharing a more romanticized version of our lives?
In addition to a change of attitudes, we are noticing a shift in positions in terms of careers and business. Jeff Howe mentions in his TIME article, "Your Web, Your Way," how professional advertising, marketing campaigns and client relations efforts sought out by big businesses are now being replaced. Anyone with an internet connection can create a blog and trash a company, can give them negative ratings on an online public forum calling for hours of a social media specialist to intervene. Now more than ever, the internet has given a voice to just about everyone.
This newfound voice to the masses hasn't only effected us negatively, it has given the population a way to communicate and share details on just about everything known to man. Lev Grossman sums up this concept perfectly in his piece, "Power to The People," when he states; "...sometimes, the best inventions are the ones people find their own uses for." The internet and Web 2.0 isn't just for a young generation or that guy in his mom's basement with the screen-name hottiegal042...its for everyone. Its for you and me. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, venture onward young explorers, type away you budding bloggers, sing it all out you you and coming youtubers....the web is entirely what you make of it.
