Are we a “lazy” generation?

In today’s society, we have technology that allows us to answer questions in a matter of seconds, just by lifting out our smartphones and typing it into google. If you really think about it, if you didn’t have your smartphone to tell you about everything and anything, would you go to the library to search for a book to read up about it? I mean, the effort! We literally have everything at the tip of our fingers. But does that make us fortunate, or is it just making us lazy?

Obviously, baby boomers and some of generation X will tell you differently. Have your aunts or uncles ever gone on a rampage when you took your phone out at a family event? Ranting on about how in their day technology didn’t exist and how it’s ruining our generation and blah, blah, blah, blah.


Despite of what the older generations think, the technology we have today is amazing, we are able to achieve so much with the facilities we have, I know I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without the internet itself. Because of this technology, doors and opportunities have opened for so many of us. As generation Z are entering the world of work, we are bringing our technology skills with us improving their communication systems, learning systems, sales systems and management systems.

We can gain new experiences, relationships and even a degree purely through the internet. Older generations seem to think that this is the worst thing that could possibly happen for our generation. They believe it is making us weaker, lazier, spoilt, impatient. Are they right? Is this affecting us academically, physically and socially?


Now, I’m not saying our parents were writing essays with a goose quill, under a candle light with a tonne of dusted books stacked beside them, but I mean they did spend lot more hours in the library doing research while it takes us 10 minutes to do research with the amazing tools we have today. Although… with my concentration skills and wondering imagination, I still wouldn’t be far behind my parents. It can be concerning that rather than doing our own research by going out and physically getting it, we might rely on the internet to much. Not only that, but they didn’t have Microsoft word or spell check to make sure their sentences still make sense at 3am and 1000 words in to an essay. We can literally achieve a degree today from our sofa, using only a laptop, smartphone and maybe a few physical books. Is this teaching us the skills we are going to need when entering our field of work?


Have you ever scrolled down your Instagram feed for hours and came across gorgeous girls with beautiful figures and thought “awch i want that!”, but then continue to lie there for a further few hours scrolling through your feed, maybe switch over to Twitter, then Facebook then maybe watch and entire Netflix series all in the one night? Same. I often wonder if I didn’t have my phone would I go outside and be more active.

I can even book a car to come pick me up right at my door through an app! Sometimes the taxi driver himself is disgusted at me for booking a taxi when the destination is only a 5-minute walk away.

Also, for a girl who loves clothes, makeup and spending money, I despise shopping. I despise the stress of trying clothes on in a small cubicle, I despise the pushing about in busy stores, I despise carrying bags and bumping into people with them and most of all I despise going home and realising I forgot to get the one thing I actually went to the shops for. But luckily enough for me, I can also do this at a touch of button from my smartphone and get it delivered directly to my door. It’s just too easy!



If you have Instagram, especially if you are a female, you will understand the awkwardness of walking by another girl whose photos you’ve been liking for months but have never actually spoke to them in person. Not knowing whether to say hello or not because it might be weird because you’ve never physically met them before, but you know that you both know each other. How weird is that? We literally have made friendships through the internet but are to socially awkward to go up and strike a conversation with them in person.


Dating websites such a Tinder have also made it weird for someone to go up and ask for your number in a normal place like a coffee shop. It’s like “eh, omg no of course you can’t have my number I haven’t even stalked your Facebook profile yet”. Have you ever gone on a date with someone without stalking their social media pages? I didn’t think so.

Technology is a wonderful thing, and as I mentioned above, it opens so many new doors and job opportunities for us. However, I have made a vow to make a point of being less lazy by doing simple things like deleting my FonaCab app, going to the library and doing more physically research with actual books and I might even go as far as deleting my PayPal account to make me go out and physically do my shopping (I said maybe!).

Aoibheann McKinley is a final year BSc in Communication Management & Public Relations student at Ulster University. She can be found at: LinkedIn – 870316112 ; Twitter – @aoibheannmckinl ; Instagram –