Teens are thought to be the biggest offenders of “technological invasion” –but they are not the only culprits. Parents and even grandparents are guilty as well. Parents may say to put your phone away at the dinner table while theirs is sitting right next to them. You try to ask them a question and you have to practically yell in order for them to peel their eyes away from the screen. It is a two-way street.
According to Pew Research Center, 89 percent of 18 to 29 year olds use social networking sites, compared to 82 percent of 30 to 49 year olds. There is not a huge difference..
BHS juniors Eden Sullivan, Ashley Mineau and Annie Kozlowski all say they use their phones for communication, the internet and social media sites, including Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
“I am pretty involved on social media,” Sullivan says.
Mineau agrees, explaining that she mostly posts “when something exciting happens, when I go someplace new,” and Kozlowski uses social media to “see what my friends are doing in Ohio and in Texas [and] when I go somewhere new or something cool happens.”

Sullivan has noticed that adults are often hypocritical about technology.
“My mom always gets mad at me for being on my phone, but I try to talk to her and she doesn’t even hear me [because] she is on her phone,” she says.
Jane Wyatt is a teacher at Bozeman High School who says she uses technology for communication with family and friends, entertainment, and for information. Wyatt is involved in Facebook for the purpose of sharing important or interesting events, along with keeping in contact with family and friends.
“I think it is a different world, a changing world, I think we always have to be open to using the tools that come along with that technology. It is a tool that we vilify,” Wyatt says.
On the other hand, Wyatt believes that technology has had some negative impacts.
Wyatt explained, “our writing is perhaps worse because of texting, I think maybe our communication skills and eye contact and interpersonal communication has been damaged somewhat.”
Linda Frantz (full disclosure: Linda is my grandmother), has also noticed an increase in technology and social media usage. Like Wyatt, she sees older generations engrossed in their phones and not paying attention to their company, but added that the older generation is not as addicted to their phones as teenagers are.
“I don’t think the biggest percentage of the older generation are as involved [in technology] as the younger generation,” Frantz says.
At the age of 73, Frantz’s Facebook usage is limited but she uses it to “see what my family may be doing. I never post anything on Facebook unless it would be a happy birthday to someone. I like to get the pictures or videos of family and put them on my timeline.”
But both Wyatt and Frantz agree that the older generation is also prone to overuse.
Wyatt explained this perfectly: “there are an awful lot of people my age and older who are just as [connected to technology as young adults]. Adults are fooling ya if they think they’re not on it a lot, ‘cause I see it all the time.”