I decided to use stereotypes I commonly hear about in my own life. Sometimes, when I talk to relatives, they claim I am too involved in my phone, but as most teenagers come to realize, the adults in our lives can understand so much, yet so little of what it means to be just a teenager in today’s times. In the first photo, two teens use a seesaw at a local elementary school, completely bothered by technology. Previously, they had been wandering around the school and using the equipment outside (basketball hoops, turf field, track, Eisenhower Park ,etc etc), and the only times they had used their phones is to record the oddities they performed. But, in short, we are not “tied” to our phones. The possession of the ability to do with out is existent within Gen Zers, and sometimes, we do.

The second stereotype is “we don’t go outside”. I feel like this is more common among older members of society (i.e. Gen Xers and Baby Boomers) who value their own experience greater than that of others, and think it is unrivaled. I don’t believe this is right (and is a stereotype) because no two people will have the exact same experience between ages 1-18. So, instead of patronizing ,empathy is more necessary. Besides, I think the internet are almost equal in risk of getting into trouble/danger. In the second photo, a few teenagers have ascended up Talcott Mountain to observe the sunset. This is a common activity in this area. In the photo, you can see at least two people eating carbohydrate rich foods, meant to generate quick energy, and I believe this contributes to the idea that Gen Z teenagers are active, and that we actually go outside.

The third stereotype is that we are lazy and unmotivated, and this slightly ties into the previous stereotype, that Gen Xers and Boomers use their own experience (one without all of the technological advances we have today) and promote it as the paramount experience (you can tell when they try to do this, because they will use the phrase “when I was your age….”. In this photo, a small movie is being made by the teen on the couch, and the one holding the camera. This is not their first movie, as they have made a few movies utilizing CGI, stop-motion, and live-action scenes, one of which has just been finished. These movies have been created using most of their own resources. But these filmmakers, who have made around 4 movies since 2015, prove that a significant number of teenagers today go against the generalization, and this proves at least in the slightest way, that we are far from lazy, phone-ridden, and introverts fearful of the outdoors.