Nearly half of adolescent activities in the US are driven by technology, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). Between watching television and interfacing with the Internet, the average American teen spends four hours per day interfacing with some sort of device. The result, according to some, is that today's adolescent culture totally revolves around technology. What many techno-enthusiasts and industry groups are missing, says Emory professor Mark Bauerlein, is that teens don't view network devices, or networks, as merely recreational. Cell phones and computers have become essential to the average American teenager's social life. The CEA report provides evidence to support Bauerlein's observation. When asked, 80% of the teens surveyed said that going a day without technology made them feel "bored," "grumpy," "sad," and "uninformed." A week without technology is "severe punishment." The idea of social life being vibrant, active, dynamic, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all online: This is totally new.
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