[et_pb_section][et_pb_row make_fullwidth="off" use_custom_width="off" width_unit="on" use_custom_gutter="off" padding_mobile="off" allow_player_pause="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="off" make_equal="off" padding_top_1="40" padding_bottom_1="20"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Title" background_layout="light" text_orientation="center" text_font_size="52" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" custom_padding="10||10|" text_text_color="#666666"]<strong>World View</strong>[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Content" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid" custom_padding="20||20|"]<p>The change in today’s youth is often thought to be a result of social media and the Internet, but YTN’s study of youth led us to a different conclusion.  We believe the explosion of social media is a response to a shift in the mindset or worldview of our younger generations.  Worldview can be a nebulous concept and may best be described as how one perceives and evaluates their surroundings, information, and relationships, and also how one draws conclusions.</p>

<p>Today, most adults, parents and leaders have a fundamentally modern view of the world,<br/>They evaluate their world through a factual or more knowledge-based paradigm.   Moderns tend to value knowledge, evidence, science, and higher education.  In short they gather information or facts to make decisions for themselves.  As a result moderns are more performance driven.</p>

<p>A significant shift has occurred in the fundamental way young people view their world.</p>

<p>Today a majority of youth has a post-modern worldview.  They view and evaluate their existence based upon very different criteria than their parents. Post-moderns value authenticity, community and experience more than knowledge, facts and evidence.  As they gain information, they do not draw conclusions based solely on that information. Instead that information is processed through a more relational, experiential grid.  They take the information and assess whether it will work for and within their community and family.  They assess its authenticity or truthfulness based on an experience that either confirms that the knowledge works or does not work.  Post-moderns are fundamentally skeptical of knowledge and truth given the barrage of often conflicting information our “modern culture” has created and is thrown at them at a volume far greater than what we experienced growing up.</p>

<p>As a result post-moderns seek authentic relationships and community; they are more fundamental needs than knowledge and information. The explosion of social media makes sense as youth seek to create a sense of community in a culture where neighborhoods and community have to a large degree broken down.  Other factors that contribute to the explosion are the increasing involvement of adults in youths’ lives (it is much greater than in the past) and youths’ inescapable feeling that they cannot be honest with adults.</p>

<p>The impact of these differences on the parent adolescent relationship should not be overlooked.  A parent’s information, knowledge-based approach is frustrating to their kids who by contrast want to have healthy, authentic relationships within their family that validate the information, values and beliefs parents are employing to try to shape their kids.</p>[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]