ABSTRACT
Social media offers us a tremendous opportunity to connect in ways previously unimaginable, but it also comes with a unique set of challenges. The great paradox about our digital age is: As we become more connected, we also become more isolated. A deeper understanding of social media in today’s environment demands an acknowledgment of the generational divide that it so often evokes. It is indisputable that modern hyperconnectivity is having a profound impact on how today’s youth and millennials relate to the world. Thanks to a wide variety of social media and video chat apps, phones are now intimate parts of all relationships, but especially those of young people. With these platforms and devices, there has been a dramatic rise in cutting, eating disorders, opioid addiction, and general mental health disorders in the US, particularly among teens.
