This post and your reply hit at a perfect time. I’d say we’ve seen a big turn toward celebrations of adolescent behavior. Right now, I’m watching the Kardashians (for the first time) and stunned by the level of immaturity. When I was in college, a good time meant you hiked through the woods all day, then maybe got stoned and talked about philosophy until you fell asleep. Older generations have seen two separate cultural trends: one towards greater acceptance of difference, and another toward “selfie” culture. These are happening at the same time, creating a bit of a mess.

Hopefully, I’d say the culture we see on social and mainstream media doesn’t reflect America at all. This year, I teach a lot of reasonable, hard-working young adults who don’t pay much attention at all to this shirt storm that plays out on Twitter, etc. everyday. It’s a good thing. Sort of. We’ve been observing the childishness, and discussing it.

I think a huge swath of our culture “opts out” of social media for exactly this reason. They want to lead a largely ethical life that balances pleasure with moral excellence and a sense of responsibility toward a greater good.