The Quintessential 21st Century American

To me, the most defining quality of the quintessential 21st century American is a dependence on technology. With the internet connecting us to the entire world and a vast amount of information, Americans have grown dependent on technology to access the internet. This technology includes computers, phones, and other devices, but whatever we use to access the internet, we have become dependent on it. Another quality of the quintessential 21st century American is that we are more informed and more critical of the world around us. Because we have access to so much information, average Americans can become more involved in government and other worldly affairs, allowing them to share more ideas and criticism. Nevertheless, because Americans can live their lives online now, the quintessential American is becoming less social than before, giving up a life that used to be lived with other people for a more closed life online. Finally, the quintessential 21st century American is becoming more materialistic than before. Again, with the advent of the internet, people began shopping online and gaining access to goods that they couldn't get before. Suddenly, Americans could log onto a web site such as Amazon and order something from another country and in a week or so it would be at the door. Also, with the readily available credit, Americans began spending much more than they had to buy all the products that they desired. So that is how I view the quintessential 21st century American, a technology dependent, materialistic, more informed individual.