Recently, I read a worrying article stating that through modern technology, us young people lack the time to be bored. That boredom is crucial as that’s when we have the time to be creative alongside the freedom to express and explore ideas. So, is this true? Is our average of 7 hours a days' worth of screen time contributing to a lack of creativity? Is our generation contending with a creativity crisis?
The argument is that human creativity is born from boredom. However, we live in an age where modern technological advances have caused social media to infiltrate almost all aspects of our life.
As our brains rot with every mindless scroll through social media, studies suggest that creativity is declining and has been since 1984. So, is it fair that we blame modern day technology? Through compulsory education, students are encouraged to conform (even through the uniform they are required to wear) which leaves little room for independency, identity and self-expression. So, why are we so shocked that as teenagers, we seem to lack creativity? Our whole lives we have been forced to fit in, with little to no chance to express ourselves, and forced to conform to a sheep-like status (except for the occasional non-school uniform day, that is).
It is possible that the way in which creativity is being measured might be a contributing factor in this apparent decrease in creativity. The ‘Torrance’ test was created in the 1950s as a measure for creativity, using the dual method of verbal and figural tests. An example of how the test is used would be when asked to draw a whale, if a child labelled it ‘whale’ they would score fewer points.
However, now more than ever, there are advanced ways to express creativity - through an abundance of online tools, alongside more traditional methods. Social media is a positive and prominent method being utilised more and more to showcase creativity, through both shorter and longer form videos, pictures and photos. This is all alongside written media online.
People are more frequently inspired and motivated to materialise their ideas through the ability to receive real time praise and feedback through online forums. Many artists use social media as a professional opportunity to present their ideas online, leading to possible paid commission work. Through these online communities, people can become inspired by others, leading them to become more creative, or put their creativity to use.
So, is society to blame for our decline in creativity? Or are the methods of recording creativity flawed? As our perceptions of creativity evolve with time and technical advancement, I guess we can only wait to find out…