Youth and the future of Olympism in a digital world, the future of Olypism is in danger due to constant technological innovations that have shaped the lives of adolescents today. What is the future of Olympism in the digital world? Or more importantly how do we engage youth online to be active offline? To answer such questions one must know four important facts, what is the digital world? What is Olympism? What impact does technology have on adolescents? And how does technology affect teenager’s perception of Olympism?
The digital world or the popular notion we have of it is that it’s almost alien. The new era of digital changes promises a better future, the benefits and results are seen all over the world, these are numerous technological modernizations that contribute to an increased standard of living therefore supposedly making our life easier. The internet as a altering forces that has a profound influence on children and youth; technology introduces new patterns of expression, communication, and motivation. In this view, various terms have been used to describe this generation of youth, “Net-generation,” and “digital natives. These labels attempt to identify a large group of young adolescents who grew up during the expansion of the internet and from early childhood have been absorbed in a media-rich environment, using computers, playing online games, constantly communicating and connecting with their friends by electronic devices. Acting in a media-rich environment and culture, the Net-generation or digital natives express different values, attitudes, and behaviours than previous generations. These digital natives are described as optimistic achievers who are talented with technology. Captivation in this technology-rich culture influences the skills and interests of teens in a significant way and shaping their lives in the future.
Olympism is a theory of life, combining in a balance whole, the essence of body will and mind, mixing sport with culture and education. Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, educational value, good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles. The goal of the Olympic movement is to commit to building a peaceful and better world through educating youth in sport practiced without discrimination, in the Olympic spirit, requiring equal understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. There are six global activities that categorise the Olympic movement, Sports through all, Development through sport, Women and sport, Education through sport, Peace through sport and Sport and environment. There are three key factors that a person must achieve to really be living the philosophy of Olympism, excellence, this value stands for giving one's best, on the field of play or in the professional arena. It is not only about winning, but also about participating, making progress against personal goals, striving to be and to do our best in our daily lives and benefiting from the healthy combination of a strong body, mind and will. There are also three values that are incorporated in observing Olympism these are, friendship, this value encourages us to consider sport as a tool for mutual understanding among individuals, people from all over the world. The Olympic Games inspire humanity to overcome political, economic, gender, racial or religious differences, and forge friendships in spite of those differences. The last key factor is respect, this value incorporates respect for oneself, one's body, for others, for the rules and regulations, for sport and the environment related to sport. Respect stands for fair play and for the fight against any unethical behaviour.
There are positive and negative effects on adolescents from technology. Evolving technology has a strong impact on an individual’s life and especially teenagers as they are vulnerable to change. “Research shows that teens tend to be more
