Interaction key to harmony
As a veteran public relations professional now teaching future generations of communication professionals, I found the Taipei Times article “Social media stirs ‘fear of missing out’: youth study” by Kayleigh Madjar enlightening and worrisome (Feb. 25, page 2).
I have been on this Earth long enough to have experienced the emergence of television as a primary means of information gathering (temporarily, at least, eclipsing newspaper and radio as sources).
I equally vividly recall observing pedestrians nearly being hit by oncoming vehicles because they were “lost” in their portable radios or music players as they crossed the street.
Young people in particular — but let us not rule out the “older” generations — are eager to adopt new methods of entertainment and, hopefully, information gathering. I watch from the sidelines with amusement as my former and current students rush to download new apps so that they are not viewed by their peers as “old-fashioned.”
I also recall once, when I first became active on Snapchat (no longer, I might add), the sheer joy of my students when they found out.
It truly is incumbent on us, as we strive to set appropriate examples for our future business and government leaders, to help these impressionable young men and women understand that the world does not depend entirely on the latest social media fads for its existence.
Good, time-honored human interaction is and always has been the key to global harmony and success.
Kirk Hazlett
adjunct professor,
University of Tampa, Florida
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