Notes

Hello everyone, my name is Harrison and I'm from Phoenix, Arizona. I currently enrolled at Arizona State University to study criminal justice. I originally was going to school for a film major but decided otherwise for a different career path to explore. For my social change report I interviewed my father Dan. My dad was born and raised in Indiana in the early 1960's. He was born in the "boomer" baby generational period. I asked my dad several different questions from how he was raised up until what he thought about the current world we're living in now compared to the one he was born in. My dad was raised in a very conservative Christian home in the southern part of Indiana. My father was born during a different time in America, where we were actively in the Vietnam War. My dad was raised quite well according to his words, he said they weren't ever "poor or struggling" but also said they weren't exactly rich either. My dad claimed and witnessed on multiple occasions civil rights protests everywhere he was when around town. This was one of the larger movements since Dr. Martin Luther King was trying to lead a new rights movement for people of color and race, which my father happened to be living in a community where it was split in the middle of black and white families. The last thing he noted that was very special to him was that he watched and witnessed as we landed on the Moon for the first time ever in 1969. My father has mentioned and has felt that a lot has changed since the early 1960's of when he was a young child growing up in a small city in Indiana. My dad has felt we have become distant in our own regards. Not many people, kids or parents go outside much and communicate, play in the parks or socialize with one another. In his words, "you don't see many kids at the park by our house anymore unlike 10 years ago they were so packed." He has felt that we've created this sense of distancing between each other and we've been unable to catch that feeling again without Internet and smartphones. He mostly feels that this will continue to become the new normal so to speak, and we will spend less and less time with those we care about and want to spend time with. But he does say that he is hopeful and optimistic about where society and people are going, and hopes some of those people can try to make change or new developments to look forward to in the future. As for my own life, I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona in 1998. My generation is called "Generation Z" or "Gen Z" for short. I had a very nice and caring up bringing when I was growing up, I played outside, played sports, participated in outside activities and was a very active child so to speak. I was a pretty decent kid in school, I was very artsy and passionate about creating things. Although my life was very simple and nice, there were events that took place that shifted and changed America forever. When I was just 3 years old, 9/11 had happened. It was one of the most devastating events in modern day history.However I did grow up with a generation that fell in love with smartphones, internet and social media. It seemed and felt like for years that we were so slowly fading away from one another. The feeling of conversations, engagement and physical communication & emotions were suddenly disappearing. This was a hard thing to adjust to over the years I will admit. My dad claims and says the same thing about how I feel our world has changed. I feel that we've become more disconnected than united. I feel that we've become strangers to our friends and family. I do agree that we don't seem the same anymore. Honestly I have fell victim for smartphones and social media and I understand and see the blindness that it does to us. I am hopeful and confident myself that eventually we will move onto something bigger and more communicative that will help bring us back together again. Whether it's something to do with our phones, applications or something completely different. I am curious what that will be and what it will become to help society.