In 2010, the Pew Research Center recorded that 61 percent
of our generation of “Millennials” or people born after 1980 said that we have
a “unique and distinctive identity”, but where does this sense of identity come
from and what is it? I think that because our generation was exposed to
relatively advanced technology at an early age, we have more self-confidence in
our ability to learn and learn more quickly than previous generations. This
self-confidence that we have when it comes to technology is very apparent in
our constant use of social networking sites.
However, using social networking sites is not just a way
to kill time. Every time we log onto Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, we are
learning (like we did when we were kids) about ideas and cultures that are
different from our own.
My most recent learning experience came from watching a
series of videos on a YouTube channel called “LAHWF”. It seemed strange to me that
the title was a bunch of random letters, and I wondered if there was a point in
watching videos with a title that did not mean anything to me. After watching
an “extra” featuring the channel’s owner, Andrew Hale, I realized that the
title meant “Losing All Hope Was Freedom”. This quote has been said by
characters in movies such as Fight Club
and Office Space who were able to
find their true identities when they stopped caring about what other people thought.
The videos followed Hale as he put himself in awkward
social situations such as asking strangers to kiss him and continuously staring
at people until they noticed. Although the videos were just humorous pranks,
Hales had a bigger picture in mind. My interpretation of the channel is that
people can and should be themselves. Hales’ mission seems simple, but sometimes
people lose their self-confidence when they don’t embrace their own
personalities.
Because of YouTube, Hales has been able to reach and get
the attention of a much larger amount of people than he would've been able to
without the help of social networking sites and other technology. If learning
about technology gives both sharers and readers the ability to gain confidence through
posts, do we really need more face to face interaction?