5 days ago
Texas Tech System Chancellor blames social media for wrong perceptions of society
The Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System said Friday the world is a better place than ever before, but 'we seem to be insistent upon screaming at each other, yelling at each other, fighting each other and thinking the world we're living in is going straight to hell in a handbasket. What is going on?'
Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell spoke during a program sponsored by the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce.
He told more than 400 people that global access to food, electricity, water and sanitation has skyrocketed in recent years.
'The amount of money spent on food, shelter, and clothes took 80% of every nickel earned in 1900. Today less than half of our money goes to food, shelter, and clothing,' he said, giving people more discretionary spending than ever before.
He said the average hours of work in developed nations was 42 hours a week in about 1950 and is now under 35 hours a week.
He said houses today are bigger than they were several decades ago, but the number of people living in them has decreased.
'The world as we know it by any measure is dramatically better than it was 200 years ago. But still, when you ask people, are we on the right track, the answer, when you poll people about this is, no,' he said. 'So why doesn't it feel like things are going in the right direction?'
Mitchell said surveys show the fastest growing political affiliation is 'unaffiliated' and the number of Americans reporting having no close friends has tripled since 1985.
'There's something going on that's problematic in the overlay of our society,' he said.
He placed the blame squarely on social media.
'For the first time in human history, a young boy or a young girl can instantly gauge their popularity. All they have to do is post something. They wait for the comments during the most vulnerable times of their lives,' he said.
He said one study showed mental health issues among young people were determined by time spent on the internet. He said it has reached the point that the U.S. surgeon general has suggested a warning label be put on social media.
'We've seen this coming for a long time, like a slow-moving train wreck,' Mitchell said. 'Can you make sure that your children and your friends' children have something to do other than spend time on social media? Yes, you can.'
He said those in the room who will feel fulfilled over their lifetimes 'will have found some way to help other people, whether it's in your house, whether it's in the neighborhood, or whether it's at work.'
He also described how generations have changed in what they want and expect from their lives since the 'Greatest Generation' of World War II.
He said subsequent generations have become quick to move on if their employers don't meet their needs.
'The days of working for 30 years to get the gold watch at the end of it were pretty much gone when it came to Gen X," he said.
Mitchell, who has led the university system that includes MSU since 2018, has announced he will retire when a successor is named.
He was one of several motivational speakers at the university's D.L. Ligon Coliseum.
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This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Texas Tech system Chancellor blames social media for wrong perceptions of society
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