The Go-Nowhere Generation

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/opinion/sunday/the-go-nowhere-generation.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=general

This NY Times article mentions an issue that we touched upon during our discussion about the Internet and teens. We all seemed to agree that teens do spend a lot of time on the Internet, but they don't consider their lives online to be reality. Though this article is largely concerned about how immobile our generation is and how these less risk-averse behavioral changes will affect our economy, there is also mention of how teens who are opting to spend more time on the Internet are not opting to do more functional things like get a driver's license. Of course this is very small point to make given the larger argument in this article, but I think there is reason to believe that the way teens now percieve risk has also changed because of the Internet. Why go out in to the real world and take real risks where real consequences can occur when one has the option to play on the Internet and construct multiple identities and realities without tangible consequences?