Dr. Jean Twenge, author and professor of Psychololgy at the University of San Diego, will speak in the Skyhawk Fieldhouse as part of UTM’s new ENGAGE Civic Initiative Sept. 3, at 7 p.m.
Twenge is most notably known for her book “iGen: Why Today’s Super Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy–and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood–and What That Means for the Rest of Us.”
Her speech, “iGen: The Smartphone Generation”, focuses on the psychological impacts of technology on children born after 1995, which are detailed in her book.
Twenge’s research has found the “iGeneration” is developing slowly and struggling with more anxiety than previous generations.
According to the preface of “iGen”, Twenge describes some problems associated with the generation as “the first generation to spend their entire adolescence in the age of the smartphone. With social media and texting replacing other activities, iGen spends less time with their friends in person – perhaps why they are experiencing unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.”
In her article, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?,” Twenge claims that post-millennials “feel more comfortable at home than out partying,” and are “on the brink of a mental health crisis.”
Twenge will be the first speaker in a series of events called “ENGAGE the Podium” hosted by the ENGAGE Civic Initiative.
ENGAGE will feature a series of guest presentations, video screenings, community discussion forums and a campus-wide common reader curriculum.
For more information regarding UT Martin’s ENGAGE Civic Initiative, contact Dr. Arthur Hunt, program co-director, at ahunt@utm.edu.
