Interconnectedness
Aerial view of crowd connected by lines
October 6, 2020
Social distancing is old news.
We’ve all experienced social isolation in one way or another. Yet, CCHS students are
determined to make their “best years” nothing less than memorable. As a member of Generation Z, I can attest that our creativity and knack for social change, connection,
and improvement has never been stronger. By now you have probably heard of some of the many ways that CCHS students have kept in touch and kept social trends alive and forming. Zoom, Instagram, Discord, Facetime, Skype – the list is endless. But there is one platform that stands above the rest. This is TikTok – an app where users can watch and create short videos that are organized for them in a personalized fashion based on current trends or previous content that they interacted with. It aligns like-minded individuals and allows endless creativity.
Our generation has grown up, in my opinion, as a very adventurous and rebellious one.
In the classroom, we participate in Socratic Seminars, structured deliberation groups in which students discuss perspectives on social issues and literature. In our free time, we watch movies and shows like The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Gravity Falls, Jessie and many more staples of many of our childhoods that depict teenagers finding independence and standing up for what they believe in – in taking matters into their own hands.
Whether we have realized it or not, our media consumption since childhood has molded us into very active members of society. Whether it be rallying in protest for a variety of causes or raising awareness about social issues or simply spreading entertainment, love and support, apps like Instagram and TikTok seem to be our stage.
Our digital interconnectedness, although limited in physical contact, has united our generation with the purpose of seeking an outlet for the creativity and independence that we struggle to find in the non-digital world, amidst ever-increasing pressures mounted on us by educational and collegiate institutions.
Isolation has been hard on everyone, but it’s nice to know that our ideas and technology are metaphorically breaking down the literal walls between us.
