Katherine Phillips
ENG 110 H6
Elisha Emerson
Writing Prompt 1 Final
Redrawing the Map to Success
In a culture where the societal standards change faster than the seasons, it is becoming easier and easier for people to become lost when it comes to what lifestyle they should follow.As standards change, those who it mainly affects must adapt, and in the American culture the group which must be the most malleable are those who fall in the “20-somethings” category. Although it is broadening the range of ways one can live their lives, it also can create a lot of issues in terms of how the younger generations will continue to live their lives into their adulthood and beyond.Thomas King does a TED Talk on the matter titled, “Adults, we need to talk”,sharing that he feels this stage should not be widely acknowledged and the stance which it was originally made from is now outdated. Comparatively, the author of “What Is It about 20-Somethings?”, Robin Marantz Henig, discusses the topic with a more skeptical, older view and she gives a description of the term “emerging adulthood”. It is possible in the culture we live in to be successful and to have a fulfilling life without “emerging adulthood” being acknowledged as a life phase, since it can create more problems than solutions if it is an accepted life phase.
Social media has been one of the biggest game changers in terms of how the developed cultures view success and how they operate as a whole. The whole world of social media is generally used more by those who are of the younger generations and it is being changed and altered by those who fit into the group of “20-somethings”. Those who are interested in how the younger generations are changing standards set for them, should look at the world of social media and the younger people’s role in the business, and also at the influence this media has one their lives. This fairly new addition to the culture has drastically altered the way of life in the developed countries, and how people connect with one another and live together as a society. Throughout time, the mold aid out for those who are transitioning from childhood to adulthood has become fairly concrete and many people have grown accustomed to those ideas. Some individuals may paint their futures, following this mold because one has been told time and time again, it will lead to a successful, happy life. This idea is challenged by Thomas King in his TED Talk titled “Adults, we need to talk”, when King brings up a very important idea by saying ((QUOTE)) the way of life that has been lived out by generations before us is now outdated due to advances in the society that greatly alter the living standards. King is a 20- something himself who is exposing his audience to a new way of viewing this idea in terms of what will truly make them happy and what success now means to those who fit under the umbrella of the title “20-something”. King himself is a young 20-something who is creating a successful and fulfilling life for himself through conveying his message through social media. While addressing his audience, King is utilizing the popularity of social media in order to convey his message and get his ideas out to a mass audience of people. King brings up the question of “why on earth are we raising the next generation to live the same lives as previous generations?”(King, 1) when the generations that are growing up today are being raised in a very different environment than those of past generations.The idea that people are being raised based on a guideline that was created for a society that is becoming less and less relevant to the reality most are living now, does not seem like the right way to be raising those who are going to dictate the direction of the future.. Previous molds are becoming out of date; however not invalidated, they no longer work for our current society because the context in which we live has changed quite drastically. Two main points King discusses are those of context and purpose. King touches on a very good point when he says that the context has changed, since the world of social media didn’t even exist until the late 1990’s. This newer social development alters many ways of how we live our lives, and that impacts how the younger generations are raised. Since the context of living has changed, it creates a new way of life in which people are seeing their life purposes differently.. On the hunt for finding a fulfilling life that is not necessarily based on success and money, but one including personal contentment and achievement. In a world highly influenced by social media, it is becoming easier for people to combine these ideas, generating a lifestyle that allows people of the 20-somethings to create a successful and fulfilling life while utilizing the societal world which encompasses them. Younger generations are searching for a life which is not in the path laid out before them, but one that winds here and there off of the path, a life which has its own meaning to the individual. They may strive for social media success“about sticking to discover our passions and live a life that makes us excited to get up each morning [and] standing up for what we believe in and leaving our mark” (King). Through his description of how the lives of those 20-Somethings is shaping the future of our society, he says that it is important that these people learn how to be successful in the new context of this culture because if they do not, the society will not grow and many issues will go unaddressed and unsolved.
“Emerging Adulthood” is only an applicable phase in the lives of those who are living in a very financially stable and generally comfortable environment. In third world countries, some people who fit in the category of “20-somethings” do not have the luxury to experience “emerging adulthood” because they need to go right into the armed forces or into the workforce. Robin Marantz Henig discusses what it means to be a part of “emerging adulthood” with the focus on the role in a society, in her text titled “What Is It about 20-Somethings?”. She asks whether or not this phase could be considered an important time for self-discovery, or if it was self-indulgence in the luxuries of the world around an individual. Henig is right when stating that it is a time of self-indulgence in the luxuries of one’s world, especially because in many places people do not have the needs met in their lives in order for this phase to take place and be of relevance. Although the majority of the American culture does have what is necessary for this phase to take place, not everyone in the world can say the same. Therefore, this phase cannot be recognized as a phase of life because it is not universal. Henig mentions an extreme example focusing on “a young man [that] hangs up his Ph.D in his boyhood bedroom”(Henig, 199). Although this quote does seem to be a bit extreme, it is what is happen to some, and it also brings up the point that not everyone can live this way. One can be smart and ready to become a self-sustaining adult, yet they choose to live in the comfort that is provided for them, instead of creating a level of comfortability for themselves. There are many people who have to immediately go from schooling into the workforce because without jobs, they would not be able to live in their societies, which is something those who believe that this phase should be recognized as a phase of life forgot more often than not. Henig is comparing the way of life practiced by 20-Somethings now, to those of the past,yet not all those who would be going through “emerging adulthood” are living that differently from the past generations. Not all of the young adults of the world are taking this time in their life to explore or to self-indulge in this fashion. The ways of life may have some shifts overall, but there is not too much change in most places in the world. Issues that this phase are bringing up are that people are getting married later, starting families later, and some don’t buy houses immediately The issues that arise from this phase are not ones which plague every “20-something”, the younger generations are shaped by the society in which they are raised. Henig brings up how “the 20’s are like the stem cell of human development, the pluripotent moment when any of several outcomes is possible” (Henig, 211). She means that the 20’s is when people figure out who they are and when they realize what kind of role they wish to play in the societal world around them, which for many is to go right into the workforce or armed forces, not to push off adulthood and avoid responsibilities. .
“Emerging adulthood should not be recognized as a phase of life because it is not a universal phase of life, and for all many know this could be phase which may fade out of popularity in the future. If it were to be recognized it could create many issues in regards to that people may feel that they should be able to live like that, and if they cannot, it would breed new social issues. It could also further the unproductive patterns that are arising in this age group where “emerging adulthood” is becoming more and more popular.
Work Cited:
Barrios, Barclay. “What Is It about 20-Somethings.” Emerging: Contemporary Readings for Writers, third ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016, pp. 199–213.
