In today’s technological world, it is very rare to be completely out of contact from the world. Just about anyone you can think of is available via phone or email in one way or another. Years before this communication technology was created, it was completely normal for close friends to not talk or get together for days or even weeks in a row. This is because, back then, it was hard to find out where people where and what they were doing at every waking moment of the day. People in this day and age would go insane if this were the case. People feel the need to be in contact with others at all times whether it be through virtual means or in person.
In “The End of Solitude”, William Deresiewicz states that “we lost the ability to be still, our capacity for idleness. They have lost the ability to be alone, their capacity for solitude”. This is referring to the so-called “TV generation” versus the “web generaton”. The generation we are now living in is the web generation; those who cannot stand to be alone.
I feel as though I can personally relate to Deresewicz’s article in that I am a part of this generation. I do not like to be in solitude for long periods of time, and I find it difficult to go more than an hour without touching my phone to text a friend to see what he/she is doing. It is not that I feel the need to always be talking to someone; it is just so typical for me to know what my friends are up to. My parents think I am crazy sometimes when it comes to how often I am talking with a friend; they are certainly not a part of the same generational feelings.