The concept of a smart phone came about only a couple of decades ago, and a few more decades before then, there was no television. In the grand scheme of human history, this short period of massive technological growth is unprecedented. Life is changing for Americans so rapidly as these big industrial booms hit our country in quick succession and how we adapt to these changes now is imperative to secure our future later. However, it’s important to understand how we got to this point first.

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, being mindful of nutrition and diet wasn’t typically a conscious act. Vitamins weren’t discovered until 1912, and the average American diet consisted of cured meats, grains, and fresh vegetables. 

“Technology in our country has really shifted the ability of people in our country to get more in excess, as well as allowed us to have access to more nutrition than we’ve ever had in the past,” History teacher Trey Takahashi said.”Now, the thing that I would say about this is it is an interesting roller coaster that we’re seeing, because there were more limits in terms of the amount of availability of types of foods before we had some of this modern technology, but in general the diet was healthier.”

Going back to ancient times, meat was an essential part of the human diet along with whatever hunter-gatherer groups could find. The tremendous development of the human species largely hinged on apes beginning to eat calorie dense meat and marrow instead of the lower quality plant-diet. This larger energy intake helped fuel a bigger brain and led to human’s ability to conceive such immense innovations and technology. However, as settled societies started to form and agricultural practices became widespread, farmers concentrated on growing whatever crops they could depending on the crop rotation and diet diversity began to plummet. 

“We’ve also started to see the rise of more and more [processed] foods as well,” Takahashi said. “It’s an interesting thing to see how it is both helping with nutrition and allowing people to have access to more nutrition than they’ve ever had access to in their lives, but now we are fighting the other end of the scale with overconsumption of processed goods that are also causing health concerns for us today that are much different from the malnourishment of the past.”

Prior to industrialization and the shift from subsistence farming to commercial farming, maintaining proper physical health was essential—not a weekly chore. Back then, hunting, walking, tilling soil, or manual labor were considered a necessity to stay alive or make currency, but in modern American society, they are considered obsolete in the face of microwaves, automobiles, grocery stores, and office jobs. Professor Adrian Bauman studied the energy expended in an Australian community that replicated life from the 1900s, and they expend nearly three to five times as much energy daily than the average person living in a developed nation. 

“We have had countless health movements in our country,” Takahashi said. “We have such nutrient dense foods that we, in many ways, inadvertently overeat. Technology has allowed us to be more sedentary than ever. Realistically, in many cities and places, we use a car as we drive, we don’t walk and we’re simply not as active as people in the past. Exercise has risen to try to take the place of the daily activeness we had prior to our current technology.”

Education has changed vastly over the last few decades as well. The current system now places value on more curriculum regulation, less superficial regulation (room orientation, social etiquette training), and more standardized expectations. 

“The education system was created due to the industrial revolution’s desire to create a complicit, compliant, on time worker. So, essentially, you had factory workers; people who needed to have basic knowledge and then go into the workforce and be able to go into a job,” 2024 Teacher of the Year Laura Penrod said. “We tend to do this very data-based type [of] teaching, where we need all these results and measurements and metrics and when we implemented the No Child Left Behind Act, the purpose behind that was to make sure every student was receiving what they needed… There is a test involved with all their learning, pretty much, starting at third grade.”

In addition to increased regulation and standardization, the classroom environment and resources that students have access to has drastically changed as well.

“Even when I first started teaching about almost 20 years ago, I remember rows and desks and lines. [There was] not a lot of group [or] partnered work—everything was very independent,” Penrod said. “Even the lesson plans were different. I was handwriting lesson plans when I started. There was no such thing as doing online lesson plans and Canvas none of this existed… I think there’s a false safety behind computers and text messaging . Students [now] don’t know how to advocate for themselves, they don’t know how to have adult conversations, they don’t even know how to bring up certain things because if all I have to do is email and never confront a person, it’s very easy.”

The industrial mindset of standardization was reflected in the classroom as well as in the manufacturing methods that began arising during this period.

“The typical history teacher example is always going to be the assembly line. It’s what really makes mass production possible: the ability to assemble things on a large scale,” Takahashi said.”One thing that also goes overlooked that comes in conjunction with the assembly line is interchangeable parts. You can’t have an assembly line putting thousands of cars or computers or whatever we’re looking at without having a standardized set of parts that can fit together, that are being machined to work in conjunction with each other… [before standardization] you could build, let’s say two train locomotives but you can’t take the wheels off one and put it on the other… If you had 10 bolts each one is slightly different, slightly different thread or size, because they were hand produced and not with those high tolerances where you could interchange them.”

For Better or for Worse by Ava Torres

As technology progresses and society becomes more dependent on it, as new generations arrive in a world where technology is present, modern technology further ingrains itself into the fabric of our society and our cultural norms.

One would think with more accessibility to personal wellness resources in the modern world we would be moving forward, but instead we are moving backwards on many fronts. How is this reflected in today’s society, and as the next generation, how must we fix it?

“I think most people nowadays, even including me, sometimes just sit in their houses for days on end, because most of the stuff they need is in their home and they don’t have to go out and actually do stuff. Everything is just there for you. This is all the next generation will know,” junior Oliver Rondez said. “I think even in Wall-E, you know, you can see how the people, they moved to outer space, they had so much advanced technology, and everything was being done for them and that’s a good example of a warning, and how we should definitely find a better balance between technology and ourselves.”

In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that 1 in 8 people in the world were living with obesity. Over the past hundred years, our diet has only worsened, with a host of factors in play. From fad diet influences to food storages, what we eat and the way we eat it has changed significantly, but with effects that seem to put our generation on a health decline.

Social media plays a pivotal role in our day-to-day routines—becoming integrated within all aspects of our lives. What am I doing today? Where am I spending the night? How am I supposed to do this? And most importantly: What are we going to eat?

Because of how ingrained social media has become, influencers can now play on their audiences’ insecurities to promote new diets and foods to eat that will “help them lose weight.”  Media has mentally impacted the state of the current society, altering what truly defines “health.”

“According to the World Health Organization, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” registered dietitian Krysten Fletcher said. “I really do believe health is multifaceted, but unfortunately I don’t think that’s the case within our current society. Many people associate body weight and thinness with health, however there’s so much more to it.”

In modern society, we have become hyper focused on the idea of being “slim” and “skinny,” framing it as the ideal body type that people are supposedly meant to strive for. To achieve these dangerous ideals, some have turned to taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic—a medication intended for Type 2 diabetics—as a way to quickly lose weight. In other cases, influencers promote extreme diets that they claim will help their viewers to get the body they want. 

One of the more extreme cases is vegan influencer Zhanna Samsonova. The influencer shared videos of her raw vegan diet, posting her meals exclusively consisting of exotic fruits and vegetables. However, raw vegan diets are insufficient in nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, and iron according to ScienceDirect. In July 2023, Samsonova passed from starvation due to her diet, showing that although the foods one consumes are healthy, without the necessary nutrients those diets could be fatal. 

“Unfortunately controversy stands out on social media, so influencers use extremes to promote themselves and their products,” Fletcher said. “Many of the diets they promote aren’t realistic for the average person. Any diet that eliminates a food group or promises quick results isn’t sustainable long term. Some choose a plant based diet for health or ethical reasons and others feel better when consuming a carnivore diet, but there’s not one specific diet that works universally for everyone. Nutrition is very individualized, people have different lifestyles, different needs, and respond to food differently.”

These diets promise outcomes of weight loss or even bulking, but these statements often lack any factual backing.

“People often view influencers as reliable, credible, and trustworthy when they regularly view their content and feel a connection to them,” Fletcher said. “Many influencers even call themselves nutritionists online. However, people aren’t aware there’s a difference between a nutritionist and a registered dietitian. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist without prior knowledge or training. Registered dietitians (RD) are required to complete formal education, training, and require additional licensure in most states.”

Despite this, social media continues to shift and change perspectives constantly.

“I think social media in any capacity tends to skew the scope of things one way or another,” Culinary teacher Kimberly Bakke said. “Trends are forever changing, and things vary wildly. I think social media influences so many things these days and there typically is a big difference between what social media tells us and what the information that leading nutritional scientists say, but it really depends on what you follow.”

As adults and children alike view the content provided by social media influencers, they could be impacted by the topics being discussed, or framed as important. 

“I would definitely say that a lot of people nowadays want to live this influencer lifestyle,” junior Desirae Hunt said. “With how dominant influencers are in today’s society, especially the ones that are fitness centered, it kind of sets this like idea in a lot of people’s heads like,  ‘Oh, I need to fit this certain way.’ So I think social media has really impacted people’s body image. When we take a look at younger kids and how they’re getting on social media so much, I think it’s also influencing them in a way even with something as minimal as skincare.”

The Evolution of the American Diet by Hunter Rhee

Diets and expectations aren’t the only factors that influence modern society’s physical health. With the increase of processed foods and microplastics, it’s becoming more and more difficult to maintain one’s health. 

From minimally processed foods like bagged salads or pre-cut green beans, to heavily processed foods like junk food, most foods nowadays are considered to be processed. It’s estimated that more than half of the calories consumed in an American diet come from processed foods. This can affect a person’s physical health with the additives that are within these types of foods. 

“All foods are processed in some way, but heavily processed foods typically indicate less nutritional density,” Bakke said. “It affects us in different ways. For example, people in food deserts depend on processed foods for their nutritional needs, but other people may choose them over whole foods, so I can’t really say a positive/negative. I think things are generally too complex to put a definitive answer on it. At the end of the day, it’s important that we as a society listen to our healthcare professionals and their recommendations on how to take care of our bodies individually to keep us in the best health possible.”

Despite the avoidability of junk food for one’s physical health, there’s one factor that lies within most of the foods we eat: microplastics. 

“Microplastics are all around us and have even been found within us,” Fletcher said. “Early studies indicate that microplastic exposure may lead to the development of various health problems, however more research is being done to determine the extent of these problems. It is definitely concerning, but unfortunately it’s impossible to avoid exposure. You can minimize your risk of microplastic exposure by swapping out plastic water bottles for stainless steel or glass bottles, avoid storing and heating food in plastic containers, drink filtered water, dust and vacuum your living spaces regularly, and check the label of ingredients that come into contact with your skin. Some ingredients to avoid include: polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl methacrylate, nylon, polyurethane, acrylates copolymer.”

As microplastics continue to have a significant presence in what we eat and wear, it’s becoming an prominent issue that students are taking note of.

“I’d hate to have a disease that could have been easily preventable,” sophomore Aldrich Razon said. “I’ve heard that microplastics are extremely harmful to their body if consumed. I’ve seen fish with plastics within their organs and if that were to get into the human body, I’m sure the same thing would happen.”

In spite of the implications of the impact of media and microplastics on physical health, improvements can be made to prioritize one’s state of health. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), health can be improved in various ways, including getting active, eating a healthy diet, and building healthy habits like avoiding junk food. 

“Listen to people who are educated and based in fact,” Bakke said. “Love your body endlessly and always, it does a lot for you. It got you out of bed this morning. It’s important to love yourself no matter what, because all bodies are good bodies. Remember to give yourself what you need and practice self care regularly.”

It’s no secret that humans can’t go long without their phones. Direct messages, deliveries, news: all accessible with the simple swipe and click of a button. But as these technologies become more convenient, making humans increasingly dependent on devices to do simple tasks, where does that leave the attention spans of humans?

This problem has become especially concerning when the demand for technology has been getting younger with each generation. Many adolescents aged ten to twelve years have wound up with a phone in their hands. For tablets, the increase is even greater, with 80% of children having access to these devices. This early-age immersion has invited the conversation of whether or not this has inherent effects on the development of today’s youth. 

“The most obvious difference has been the ability to notetake. I used to take really good, organized notes, where students would have to [copy and] handwrite in their notebooks,” computer science teacher Dana Cuni said. “In the last few years, that simply hasn’t been possible because the students don’t have the dexterity in their hands to write fast and neat enough to actually get them in the notebook.”

Research shows that the average attention span has become a mere 8.25 seconds in the last decade, which is nearly a second less than a goldfish’s 9 second retention. 

“The newer generations, or these upcoming generations, definitely do not have the same attention spans,” psychology teacher Benjamin LaCombe said. “I’m not saying it’s significant, because I think if you go back and you look at my generation, kids got bored. But I do think that overall, our generation was able to focus for a longer period of time because of our development and our experiences…whereas the younger generation, their experience with technology and whatnot has allowed them to have less attention.”

With the steady shrinking of attention spans, there has been cause for concern that the recent generations have been declining in basic knowledge like reading comprehension or behavior.

“IQ is about intelligence. Natural intelligence and stimulation is important; stimulation impacts IQ. So these kids are getting a lot of stimulation, so their IQ goes up, but the attention span doesn’t allow them to gain knowledge,” LaCombe said. “They may be smart, but if they’re not gaining knowledge, then that’s an issue. It goes back to crystallized and fluid intelligence; they may have fluid intelligence, but if they don’t use it to build that crystallized intelligence, then you’re not gaining any wisdom.”

Gallery • 1 Photos

Venice Jingco

As technology has become more advanced, having a big impact on what students find interesting, it has left teachers needing to adapt to allow them to get the best education possible. 

“I don’t teach the same way that I used to teach 20 years ago,” LaCombe said. “You have to be—I’d hate to say it—but I think the most effective teachers are entertainers. I feel like that’s basically where it’s gotten to, where, the only way to get kids to really give attention to you is bells and whistles. The more bells and whistles you have, the more likely they’re going to listen to you. I feel like it’s only getting worse, and the only way to get their attention is through entertainment.”

TikTok opened the floodgates of fast entertainment. It amassed enormous fame in 2019 and 2020 where it solidified its position as a fast-expanding competitor of social media apps. After its release, it created a domino effect that inspired other app features to expand to have similar content structures such as Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, or YouTube Shorts.

“Media has been decreasing over time because the people who create the videos realize that their viewers prefer content that’s shorter,” junior Marco Farinas said. “They start decreasing the time it takes for children to watch those videos, and it’ll take less than 10 seconds. If you haven’t seen YouTube Shorts or TikTok, they’re all meant to be short, and they’re going to have short attention spans as a result.”

Due to the addicting content, algorithms, and fast-paced content allowing users to constantly scroll, these social media platforms with fast entertainment have become addicting to audiences. So much so that the average TikTok user spends around an hour scrolling per day.

“What they see online influences their mindset, their values and everything,” Farinas said. “I’ve heard of a ten year old who smokes, and just because of how society is, it’s polarized. Most people in society view things as this or that, like white or black; it’s influencing our generation to think in this tunnel vision.”

Longform: Average TikTok Usage Statistics by Zelina Panissidi

As this world becomes primarily focused on the use of technology, it has had adverse effects on classroom environments for both teachers and students.

“[There has been] definitely a decrease in problem solving skills and effort: students looking for the quick way out, not caring about learning or improving, just caring about grades and getting it done in the fastest way, no integrity,” middle school science and English teacher Maria Harris said. “It’s really challenging as a teacher now because so many activities, lessons, and programs are online. Therefore, the answers are leaked. It is such a waste of my time to now have to look at plagiarism and AI detectors. [I am] always doubting students ability and not getting to have a true understanding of needs or levels, especially at the beginning of a school year because students are cheating and using these things.”

Although the expansion of technology use has had many negative effects, it is important not to discount the benefits that it has offered for learning in classrooms.

“The evolution of technology has shaped my classroom in that when I started teaching in the late 90’s, the internet wasn’t a big thing for young kids. Teachers didn’t even rely on checking emails and there were maybe 2-3 computers in a classroom. Now, every student has one and needs one; they do testing on them,” Harris said. “It has definitely broadened my teaching and improved it because I can offer instant images, articles, videos, multiple references, etc. It saves a ton of time and makes my teaching have the ability to stay relevant. The dependency on technology is a double edged sword. It is very useful and irreplaceable at this point, but I do think that we are too dependent on it, and that is a negative especially when there’s outages.”

Telephones vs. smartphones, handwritten letters vs. text messages, encyclopedias vs. search engines: while older generations had to adapt to the growing development of technology, the internet and its features have always existed for Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha. 

However, the internet has gone from gently holding our hand throughout our childhood, to firmly gripping it, preventing us from disconnecting. A Pew Research Center study found that 69% of U.S. parents of teenagers (age 13-17) believe it’s harder being a teen today compared to 20 years ago. 65% of these parents cited some form of technology, such as social media and phones, as reasons why they believe that. While the digital world is filled with endless possibilities, that doesn’t mean all of them can become positive experiences for our mental health. 

Social media has practically become a requirement to being a teenager. Don’t have an account? You’re missing out. However, this has resulted in teenagers becoming more insecure about themselves, developing mood and anxiety disorders such as depression. 

“[As] I started getting older and I was on Instagram and Tiktok more often, I started getting self conscious,” senior Eloisa Valelo said. “Especially when people at school would post and I was thinking about posting on the same day. I’d be like, ‘Oh my god, they look so good, my post would never top theirs, I have to post it on another day.’ I wouldn’t say I was ever jealous of [my friends]. If you consider me being like ‘Oh man, I wish I had the confidence to [post], I wish I looked like them’, then I would be.”

This is no surprise; with the ability to post anything online, it’s easy for teenagers to fabricate their lives. 

“Just in general, it’s easy for us to get influenced and be like ‘Oh gosh, my life doesn’t look like that, so what’s wrong with me?’ social worker Joselyn Kim said. “I feel like, [the] majority of those things that we see on social media when it comes to that perfect lifestyle, person, or whatever, it’s usually what they want you to see. No one’s life is perfect.”

Design by Hunter Rhee

In addition, cyberbullying has become an increasing issue. Nearly half of U.S. teenagers (46%) claim they have experienced some form of cyberbullying online, ranging from offensive name-calling (32%) to having explicit images of themselves spread (7%). 

“We live in the age where everything is recorded,” school psychologist Sasha Bisda said. “I had a student that posted something [and] everybody at school found out about it. She was horrified, and so it’s really important for kids to know that if you put something out there online, you just have to be really cautious about what you say.” 

Video games have also become a polarizing topic in recent years, with parents heavily debating its pros and cons. Video games with explicit violence have been under fire the most: out of the 97% teenagers who played video games in 2010, 66% played action-genre games that may have featured violence.

“Studies show that taking in more violent media can make you violent, but it’s also just the desensitization of it,” Psychology teacher Benjamin LaCombe said. “Video games play a big part in that unfortunately. I understand, at my age, that those things on the screen aren’t real, but young minds don’t know what’s real and what isn’t. I think that makes a big impact on how they view the world and it’s probably different than I do.”

Despite the growing evidence that technology has negatively impacted our mental health, some teenagers remain optimistic about the potential benefits that the internet holds. One of these benefits revolve around a surplus in communication opportunities. 

“Honestly, I don’t view social media as a negative thing,” Valelo said. “I think no matter what, social media and technology have made it easier for everyone to come in contact with each other. You get to connect with people you also share the same interest with, and they might not be in the same area. In that case, you won’t feel lonely because now you’ve found people that you connect with.”

Regardless, one thing remains certain: society is not leaving the digital world anytime soon. So instead of shaming technology as an evil, perhaps the right direction would be to start utilizing it for good. 

“We can choose how we use social media,” Bisda said. “It is important to check in with yourself and set limits if you need to and find a good balance. Minimize access to negative things online and disconnect from technology if you feel that it is having a negative effect on your mental health. There are many apps available to improve mental health, and technology has given us a way to access mental health providers online. I think it is important to seek out positive people and focus on positive things online.”