Throughout the years
as the world developed, technology has begun to play a huge role amongst our
society. And within the last decade it has, in my opinion, gotten out of
control! I look all around me and all I see are people on their cell phones,
students on their laptops, children on their kindles and even my friends
constantly texting, tweeting, and Facebooking.
I hardly remember what it was like before…before all of it.
I have younger siblings, ages 12, 9 and 7, so when I go
home to visit them I will be energized and excited to play with them and 9 out
of 10 times I will find them sitting on the couch with a Kindle, Nabi, and IPod
completely immersed into the current ‘app’ they are using or YouTube video they
are streaming. I am ready to play
outside, go on a walk, play a board game, but they have little to no interest
in any of that. On the other hand I will
be sitting at dinner with a few girlfriends that I do not see very often due to
our hectic schedules and each of them will be on their phones texting or
checking Facebook while I am trying to have a conversation with them! And the
worst part is that I find myself making those same choices and being completely
consumed by the technology this wonderfully brilliant world has provided all of
us with.
Why do I find myself
to be so upset? It is because we are missing it. Everything! Each of us is so
ruled by the screens all around us that we barely offer a second to glance up
at the world that is happening before our eyes. I realize I am taking this to
the extreme but if you think about the amount of hours per day we are looking
at a screen I believe you would fall off your feet with the shock of it.
Now, I understand that it is important to evolve along
with the world we live in, and so I do, just as the rest of us. However, all I
ask is that you take a moment to realize what you are missing. Look out your
window and see the beauty of the world, notice your child take their first
steps, cook and eat dinner together as a family, watch your son’s football
game. Just divert your eyes from that screen that you have grown so accustomed
to looking at and take a moment to enjoy the view of the incredible world we
live in.
Check out these links that give some great examples of
why technology might be too much of a good thing:
My husband and I have a "rule" about reducing tech "noise" during the weekend. Email can be checked from our phones every few hours, the tv is for watching something specific (instead of just background noise), etc. We love it.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, now a days a lot of people spend more time looking at screens then spending time with people especially children which is not right. My little cousin is 4 years old and she loves and is so smart when it comes to technology, she can go on youtube and take picture on any phone you give her, and she would rather play games on an ipod then play with other children her age.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting how when you walk anywhere all you see this the top of people's heads because they are texting. My niece who is 5 can work an IPad like a pro...it is insane!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good point to make. Every time my parents ask me what I want for Christmas, I always ask for work-out gear or new running shoes. My little sister asks for new computer games and playstation equipment. Technonogy runs rampant in many peoples lives, but a good chunk of them can risit the temptation. This is a fantastic topic to write about, because this problem seems to be prevalent in the younger popuation, which you doa grea job of highlighting.
ReplyDeleteAs a Comp Sci major I actually took a class called "Social Implications of Computing" and we talked all about what has/will happened in a society so highly dominated by these electronic devices. http://25.media.tumblr.com/b21b8fc2708dd260d1915c81f78ba3f9/tumblr_mkkpjfjomy1ql2603o1_500.jpg. When I was home awhile ago we went to a Vietnamese restaurant (a relatively authentic one for those who are curious). While there I noticed at another table there was a family waiting for their food and a young boy was on his Dad's laptop playing Minecraft while waiting. So in this case they weren't even at home making this a regular habit but in public, out for dinner with the family which is prime time for oh I don't know, eye contact and talking? What makes this tricky however is that all our entertainment and communication is converging into electronic form. Board games are becoming apps and all our communication is turning highly mobile. And although we may be super social in that were talking to 10 people at once there are two types of people, those who *think* they can multitask and those who don't think they can multitask which usually degrades the physical in person conversation.
ReplyDeleteI definitely appreciated this topic being raised. I feel that technology should be used as a spice for life: You can't make a meal out of it, but it can definitely enhance one. So use tech in ways that don't completely overshadow life, but helps make it better. But yes, I definitely do think we need a bit of readjustment in values especially when it takes precedence over the people right in front of us.
ReplyDelete(SIGH)Minecraft! We have to pry the fingers off the iPods, etc. It is so important that we pay attention to the moment we are living in, especially when it comes to our kids and connecting with them. We all have to work at this. Thanks for bringing awareness to this topic.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad someone decided to write about this! This is one of my biggest pet peeves, even though I know I am guilty of doing it too. It's such a fine line between staying connected to those we can't always see, to being present with those that we spend our time in person with.
ReplyDeleteI think technology is bad when it takes us out of the present moment. Its not bad to read an e-book (especially if you're doing homework) or chat with a friend of facebook, but when you do, be completely there. Its when we try to talk to someone on facebook on our phone while were out to dinner is when it hurts. It hurts when you are not physically present to make eye contact someone while you are physically out with them, nor is it fun to be ignored when you are trying to talk to someone on facebook who you think has time to sit and chat with you. We need to value human communication, and look for quality not quantity of those relationships and communications.
ReplyDeleteI am a culprit of letting technology control my life but I hate it. I know that when I am with family at gatherings and half of them are on their phones, it drives me nuts. We are in an age where we need to either jump on the technology band-wagon or be left behind. It's disgusting how very few of us live in the moment but can spend lots of time instagramming, tweeting, or facebooking the events that are happening. I feel that I talk to people much more over social media and texting than I do in real life and it's disgusting. I love that you addressed this issue because it is one that needs to change. Find a balance between what's happening in real life vs. over a screen.
ReplyDeleteI realized how often I used my phone after last week when I accidentally dropped and broke it and was without it for over a week. I was shocked how "naked" and unconnected I felt. By the end of the week however I felt much less stress and actually more connected to the people closest to me that I see each day. Great topic!
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