We see a lot of technology in Brave
New World. It seems to cause
some problems for them, but does it cause some for us, too?
I have a serious love-hate
relationship with technology. On one hand, it has made my life much
easier through my cell phone and has given me opportunities to
entertain myself through video games and Netflix. On the other hand,
it infuriates me and cripples our society.
On second thought, even the technology
that I love can tend to make me angry. When Hood College's trademark
email barrages at noon at five o'clock light up my phone like a
Christmas tree, I often want to throw it against the wall just to get
it to stop vibrating. When I begin losing a video game that I've
invested a lot of time in, I kinda get the feeling that I want to
throw my laptop out the window.
But maybe I'm just a sore loser.
Let's look at what technology has done
to the generation that follows ours. We boast that technology has
made children more connected and much smarter than we are. Perhaps
the children are more connected, but Facebook and other social media
are making it more difficult for them to communicate in face-to-face
encounters. My local Board of Education even considered creating a
mandatory “Social Relations” class in order to help kids develop
effective interpersonal skills.
A class for developing skills that come naturally for most people?! You've got to be kidding me!
Our boasting that they're smarter is
also kind of misplaced. First, I'm not even convinced that they know
more stuff. I went to school with kids who couldn't find Maryland on
a map of the USA and thought that Austria was located adjacent to
Massachusetts.
Second, these kids have sacrificed some
of their childhood innocence to get to where they're at (and remember
that their current intelligence may actually be worse than ours was).
Two years ago, I spent some time tutoring kindergarteners at my old
elementary school. Aside from the whole experience being extremely
throwbacky, I learned some things about how kids have changed in the
thirteen years since I had been in kindergarten.
These kids were swearing at each
other. Not the “Oops, it just slipped out in the moment” or the
“I don't know what this word means, but I'm going to say it anyway”
kinds of swearing. No, these kids knew what these words meant, and
they were hurling them at each other without getting in trouble.
Five-year-olds. Dropping the
f-bomb. I can't even articulate how much trouble that would have
gotten me while I was in kindergarten.
We've given the next generation cell
phones so they can stay in touch and computers so they can write
their papers. Instead, they have used their phones to spend our money
and used their computers to look at porn and play those silly
MMORPGs. The results of these choices stay with them for the rest of
their lives, hurting them, and in turn, society.
So, is technology the death of
society? The devices themselves are fine; it's how we've used them
that is hurting us. If society is damaged by technology, it will
ultimately be us, and not the
technology, that will be to blame.
(The first meme is from weknowmemes.com. The second is from blog.hsoi.com.)
(The first meme is from weknowmemes.com. The second is from blog.hsoi.com.)
I have the same love-hate relationship with technology as you do. While I see the benefits in being able to stay connected or open an important e-mail in the middle of the quad, it is also very disruptive. It disrupts face-to-face social relations, it disrupts classes, it has made its mark in almost every part of my life. I have seen the same behaviors in the 1st grade classroom I volunteered in and it was disturbing. These kids have so much access to inappropriate things, it and they are out of control. Not only is it hurting them socially, it hurts them physically as well. I feel that kids do not get enough activity due to the entertainment aspect of technology. I think technology use should be limited and it is up to the user to limit his or her self.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. This is what I was talking about on the first day of class. It is nothing to walk down the sidewalk to class and pass five different people, but they all have their heads in their phones. Yes, I am guilty of it too. But it still is something that we all cling to and should not. It has become a drug for some people. So much so that they cannot even drive on the highway without texting their friends to tell them who they just passed, or to take a quick pic of them getting pulled over and upload it to Instagram ...believe me I've seen this. I just cannot believe the attention these people need. Children are not to be blamed for what they have access to because adults have allowed it. My daughter knows how to use a computer because I have shown her, but I also monitor what she does. She does not get on the Internet. I have also seen children using computers inappropriately and it irritates me. I was volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club and these children have access to the computers after homework is completed. They were getting on youtube and watching videos that should be blocked. When I said something about it, the person in charge said there were too many kids to monitor and you just have to do your best. Why aren't we taking them outside? Why are we allowing them to have free-range to any kind of media? I cannot imagine what they will be acting like when they become teenagers. It's a sad place we are beginning to live in. These kids are our future; treat them with more compassion and respect.
ReplyDeleteThank you thank you thank you! This post just made my day, Sam. I think technology can be very beneficial to our society, but when it starts to become a daily distraction and an impediment to our interactions with others, then you know you've got a problem. People are so disconnected these days, its infuriating! Normal conversation just doesn't seem good enough for people anymore. What a shame.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me or do you all sound like my grandma?
ReplyDeleteI really hate technology in children's lives. I remember when my generation wasn't getting cell phones until around 8th grade and today you can see toddlers walking around with iPhones in their hands.
ReplyDeletePeople need to take a step back from technology and smell the roses. Really, though. Everyone is spending so much more time inside and behind a screen (hypocritical because I am behind a screen?). The past couple weeks on really nice days, I have parked myself outside on the quad under the hippie tree and just read a book and it felt GREAT.
Stepping back from technology is a difficult concept for some people to imagine, but once you make the first couple steps it all gets easier.
I used to play those MMORPG's :(
ReplyDeleteAlso, there's probably an app to fix this problem. Kids are getting instant gratification, I'm sure somebody can build a program for their iPhones to help them be more patient. I know: we'll give them a second phone to make sure they're using their first phone correctly.
As much as I would like to control where society is heading in terms of technology and "give it to me now" mentality, it's ultimately going to be up to the hands of parents and educators. There's little to nothing we can do.