A psychologist and researcher who is also a bestselling author is coming to Western Kentucky University to give a lecture on the impact of technology on different age groups.
Dr. Jean M. Twenge, who teaches at San Diego State University, will present a talk on Tuesday, Nov. 4, called, “How Changes in Technology Shape Each Generation.” Twenge’s appearance is part of the WKU Presidential Speaker Series.
Twenge has authored seven books, including Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future, published in 2023, and 10 Rules For Raising Kids in a High-Tech World, published in September.
WKU President Timothy Caboni said Twenge is “a great person to come share with not just the WKU community, but the Bowling Green and Warren County community, what she knows and has studied around how technology affects us. She’ll share, I think, things about her family and the conversations she’s had with her children about how they do and don’t get to use technology and what it means for their brain development.”
Caboni added that he thought Twenge’s research is something that just about everyone can relate to on some level.
“Her work is an example of research that matters to the general public’s daily existence,” the WKU President said. “The questions with which she grapples are really around what are we doing to ourselves as a society through the use of this technology and social media and what it’s doing to how our young people think of themselves and how they engage with one another, and some of the mental health challenges that we face as a nation.”
The lecture is free and open to the public. It’s being held at Van Meter Auditorium on WKU’s campus. The event begins Tuesday at 7 pm, with doors opening at 6:15.