Technology is an amazing thing. I laugh when I think about all the things we have now compared to when I was my teenage girls' age. I don't want to be one of those old people who say, "remember when.....", but here it goes anyway.... Remember when you got your first microwave in your house? Remember when you watched Michael Jackson's premiere of the video Thriller on MTV? Remember when MTV actually played music videos??? Remember Atari and Pong vido games? Remember when you got a "disc" video machine and thought you were so cool cause you could go rent those giant movies? Remember your mom and dad's first cell phone was a giant bag phone? Remember the first giant desktop computer you had that was super, super slow....?" Remember actually getting off the couch to go change the TV channel, or maybe even yelling up at your dad on the roof to adjust the antenna??? Ha! Man, I am aging as I type this! LOL
I love my DVR. I love texting. I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. I refuse to join Twitter. I am on Pinterest, but have never pinned a thing. I think I would literally be lost without my cell phone. I have a laptop. I have a Kindle. I want the new Iphone or Windows phone as soon as I can get it. I think technology can be a wonderful thing!!!
But, has it done the next generation an injustice? If we are the microwave/drive-thru generation, my kids are the entitled to have it "RIGHT NOW" generation. They wait for nothing. They have a friends answer at the speed of a text. Heck, they text me questions from the next room of our 1,000 sq ft apartment! They have google and ask.com on their smart phones. They can find out their grades on their school websites. If they miss their favorite TV show, they can stream it on their tablet. They don't even have to sit through pesky commercials, just fast forward through the DVR commercials!!!
Nobody makes phone calls anymore. Nobody answers emails anymore. You cannot communicate in this day and age if you don't have a Facebook account or unlimited texting. Sometimes this can be a good thing. We can request and receive prayers from friends and family around the country at the touch of a button. We can talk to a friend all day via text and never leave the house.
As much as this has made communication easier, what has technology done for "real" communication??? I think we should all take a few minutes to actually call our moms or a dear friend that we have only had text conversations with lately. I think we should write a letter and snail mail it (gasp!) to someone who needs an encouraging word. This is a challenge to myself today, as much as it is for you......
So, technology.....friend or foe??? That is the question I am sending out into the land known as the Internet via my blog today. Don't think that the irony has escaped me. Have a great day my technology bombarded friends!!!!
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As great as our technology is, I think it is giving our children a huge injustice. Their writing and communications are horrible. They don't have to wait for anything. Patience is not a virtue for them. They want instant gratification for everything.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I remember the computers that came with huge floopy disks and tape recorders to save information on. There were also no pretty graphics.
Technology also lets them experience things they may never get to experience first hand. Seeing the beauty of different countries. Meeting people from other countries. They can also speak and video chat to family members who live far away.
I have a non-fiction book on my 'to-be-written' list titled "Technology Drives Everything", though I might add "Almost" before Everything.
ReplyDeleteI'm a relatively low-tech person, though not a total Luddite. Much technology is good, in fact most technology is good. It's when the latest gadget is a must-have, to the detriment of true needs, that technology becomes bad.
That said, some day I may breakdown and buy a smart phone.