Technology, from when I was a child to
now has grown rapidly. I remember my first desktop computer. It was slow and
boring. The mouse was a “ball” and the computer itself, image wise, wasn’t
attractive. It was very square and bland. As a child, I didn’t feel amazed by
the computer as much as I am now. Today, computers are flashy, fast, and used
as a tool for just about everything, more so than when I was a child.
I
was lucky enough, that at my age, technology wasn’t as consuming as it is now.
In this decade of time, children find much more entertainment of what’s handed
to them instead of creating and playing. The children that I babysit are
completely engaged in television ALL the time. Their stimulus is never active
and open. The creative, imaginative world that all children should have is
slipping away right into technology. It’s sad, because their only entertainment
is through technology—not playing outside and pretending they’re a dragon or
any other imaginative creature.
After
interviewing three different people, who are all older than 35 years of age, I
found the one concept repeated most often is the idea of how much today’s
technology has created a disconnect from authentic experiences and
relationships. While the present
age of technology aims to connect people instantly with others around the
world, promoting a truly global mindset, as well as providing unlimited
resources of information that promotes free thinking, the one common thread the
older generation see as a negative effect with today’s technology is the idea
of disconnect.
When
I was interviewing my grandmother, she expressed her observation that youth are
so distracted by the use of their phones, that having authentic relationships
and conversations with out disruptions is almost impossible. My mother mentioned the same thing,
however, also added that the present use of technology has replaced the
valuable connection to nature that most kids experienced, almost daily, as a
place to play games and explore.
She has noticed that children, even children growing up in rural areas,
are disconnected from nature because they tend to stay indoors playing computer
games or watching tv much more than in her generation.
I
also interviewed Ricardo Sierra, Director of a wilderness school for over 23
years, and he has noticed how few practical skills kids have as a result of
technology. “It used to be that
most kids that I worked with knew how to tie a knot or start a fire, but now I
need to spend much more time, slowly going over the mere basic skills because
kids are lacking practical skills much more so than just ten years ago.”
It
appears, based on these three interviews, that the older generation that grew up
with out cell phones, VCRs and computers felt much more connected to their
families and friends, their imaginative play and the natural world. They are seeing the youth lose these
valuable connections and experiences that are being replaced by technology as
well as observing the repercussions of what is lost.
I completely agree with you on your blog post. Children today are reliant on technology to make their fun without actually going out and trying to create their own fun. I wish that people could see the value in running around outside and not being tied down inside. It is really scary to think that no one will not know how to play Freeze Tag and would opt to sit around playing on their new iPod Touch.
ReplyDeleteIt's seems ridiculous to believe that people can't seem to have a conversation without checking their phone, but it's actually so true. I'll admit that I do it all the time. Your phone goes off, you want to see what it is. It seems that most of my life has been spent either begging for a phone, and once I got it, being on my phone. I crave to know what it was like when my parents were growing up. Can you imagine sitting down for dinner with somebody with nothing but their stories to distract you?
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