In the last century, the human race has made more technological advancements than it has in two thousand years; the same can be said for even just the last fifty years. From typewriters to hand-held touch screen computers and literal horse power to nuclear energy, the progress of modern civilization has been and continues to be an astounding endeavor. However, such progress could not be made without an irrefutable power held by the greatest minds of our kind: imagination. In a 2010 dissertation, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, SJ, Superior General of the Jesuits, addressed the importance of imagination in Jesuit education and how he believed it to be threatened by the instantaneous and worldwide network brought forth by modern technology, otherwise known as social media and instant communication. Whether or not such tools are obstacles to the pragmatic ingenuity required by Jesuit education is not a question that can be answered simply; just as the world sports many “gray areas”, this technology has both its benefits and hindrances, and the latter can be overcome through a variety of approaches.

By virtue of social media and instant communication, it is essentially an effortless process to interact with people more than eight thousand miles across the world as though they were only three feet away, ultimately allowing human development to speed up dramatically. Search engines such as Google are easily some of the most used inventions of today and have made finding the most perplexing solutions less complicated and accessible within a mere fraction of a second. As a result of this, it is often argued that the creativity of the world’s youth is dwindling and people are becoming less inclined to think for themselves. Those that defend this claim would not be wrong. On the other hand, those that refute this claim would also not be wrong.

While it is true that there are people who would rather search the Internet for measurement conversion tables or the answers to their homework, there are people who use it to revise their favorite recipes for a buttercream frosting or help them develop a stronger understanding of difficult concepts they are introduced to in school or the work place. Just as in some cases it may represent a generation’s laziness it also represents their newfangled resourcefulness and inclination towards modern innovation. Whereas a struggling artist may resort to taking a work found online as their own, an enthusiastic writer may utilize the folklore of distant tribes and nations as inspiration for a successful franchise of books, movies, and television shows. Although it is a facile task to consider a generation as just a mass, to remember that a mass is made up of highly varied individuals is a fundamental perspective on the world: it is up to oneself on how they use their time and available resources.

In regards to how the hindrances of social media and instant communication can be overcome, college students specifically can take the time to simply engage in and observe their surroundings, physically and virtually. Just as there are those who use the Internet with responsibility and purpose, there are those who use the Internet with ignorance and determination. Both social media and instant communication reflect the world and its thoughts, but also magnify and make permanent its imperfections. With the eyes of their worldly neighbors watching, it is crucial that the practice of thinking before speaking is exercised. College students, youth on the brink of fully entering society, must use their observations, their mistakes, and the mistakes of others, to better themselves, which will further develop and improve the human race and its creations. Through observation and the perpetually used method of trial error, the youth will guide society in a direction away from a “globalization of superficiality”.

Psychology tells us that we fear what our history implores us to fear as well as what is unknown to us. Countless Internet users have been shown to use it irresponsibly and it is generally feared that more people will fail to competently take advantage of this resource. However, it was only fifty years ago that the first prototype of the Internet was launched and it has continued to evolve since then. The means of social media and instant communication are only just beginning to stabilize and more people are learning to react against the anonymity assumed online that encourages people to act carelessly. It is difficult to pinpoint one judgment on the effects of using the quick and reliable Internet when its users and its own self are still in development.

It is a contradiction when told that we, the world’s youth, hold our future in our own hands and make progress faster than our predecessors of two thousand years while we are faced with criticisms of being a lazy generation. And yet, both hold truth. A Jesuit education requires ingenious thinkers and inspiring individuals. Modern technology only discourages thinkers and individuals from being ingenious and inspiring if they lack motivation and fail to meet the standards of higher learning and neglect to use the available technologies to their advantage. Present day society has just as much and just as little imagination as its forebears; it is a misconception that the minds and attitudes of the people of today are vastly different in comparison to those of yesterday. Social media and instant communication are easily the most popular modern invention and despite popular belief, they do not necessarily dictate the lives of its users. It is the human mind that develops theories and directs films (both good and bad), not a computer, although a computer can help with both tasks.