During my winter break, my parents and I took a trip to Tuscon, Arizona to visit the rest of our family for the holidays. Over the duration of our stay, it became increasingly apparent to my brother and I that our mother was attached to her cell phone and computer. At one point there was a complete upheaval in our night because the internet stopped working on my mom's computer (then was finally resolved in a forty minute phone conversation with tech support). These events opened my eyes, realizing how technology has dramatically changed our family dynamics. Even my mother, who banned television during the week in our younger years, has now succumbed to technological addiction.
I am just as guilty of these abuses as well. Numerous family adventures and meals came to a halt when I received an important e-mail or urgent phone call from a friend. Each of our technological addictions have completely altered our family interactions; every evening before dinner we converse over the tops of our laptops and at the dinner table all jump at the sound of a text. In a recent phone conversation with my mother, we talked about comments I had made on Facebook, rather than the activities of the day ahead. On the other hand, so many family moments have been shared using picture texts and skype. Using technology in this way, I have been able to witness each milestone in my nephew's young life, while attending college full time 300 miles away. I have seen the benefits and the disadvantages of a technologically savvy family and am curious how electronics impacted other families like ours.
I am just as guilty of these abuses as well. Numerous family adventures and meals came to a halt when I received an important e-mail or urgent phone call from a friend. Each of our technological addictions have completely altered our family interactions; every evening before dinner we converse over the tops of our laptops and at the dinner table all jump at the sound of a text. In a recent phone conversation with my mother, we talked about comments I had made on Facebook, rather than the activities of the day ahead. On the other hand, so many family moments have been shared using picture texts and skype. Using technology in this way, I have been able to witness each milestone in my nephew's young life, while attending college full time 300 miles away. I have seen the benefits and the disadvantages of a technologically savvy family and am curious how electronics impacted other families like ours.
In an article the New York Times published in June 2010, Kord Campbell and his wife were interviewed about Mr. Campell’s addiction to electronics. Brenda Campbell stated, “It seems like he can no longer be fully in the moment” while discussing his struggles with data over stimulation. I can relate to this in my own family interactions. Car rides are no longer a time for discussing the day’s activities, but an opportunity to change your Facebook status and check e-mails. There have also been some great benefits that have come with our smartphones, making our family more connected. We were able to receive hour by hour updates of my nephew opening presents from Oregon. It was very exciting to feel a connection to our family so far away but there were times I felt the constant multimedia messages were taking attention away from quality time spent with those who were present. For these reasons I am torn about whether or not our family has truly benefited from being constantly connected.
-Annie Roach
5 comments:
My family's actually going through a similar transition. My younger sister was in the laptop program at her middle school and was, therefore, constantly connected to her friends. There was a slight disconnect between my parents and her for a while until recently. In addition to that, my mother, father, and I all got smartphones at the same time, so I'm more connected with them when we're not within a close proximity but I hope our dynamic at home isn't negatively affected.
I find this interesting, because I grew up with my mother always telling me to turn my cell phone off because it was "just for emergencies." Over the years, however, it has become, as she calls it, "my personal line." I used to find this annoying, but I realize now that she had a point. Cell phones used to be meant for practical purposes, i.e. emergencies or when you're lost or running late. It seems that now we are constantly connected to the world, and a device that was initially meant for emergencies has become a device meant to have 2 hour-long conversations with my mom or text friends just to see "what's up." Convenient for long distances? Yes! Evolved into a new purpose? Definitely? Is this bad? No...but where do we draw the line and how technologically "connected" should we be with our family?
This is an interesting blog post and I feel like the dilemma regarding whether or not technology is connecting or disconnecting families is prevalent in most families of this current generation.
I do think that technology does tend to connect families more so for families of the older generation. I would consider my family pretty old fashion. To put this into perspective, I didn't get a cell phone until last year. Additionally internet usage was limited to the occasional printing of coupons. This transition from no technology to the bare minimum was because they wanted me to call them everyday. They even expanded their use of internet from printing of coupons to sending emails with words of wisdom/remainders. So I feel that for families that are more old fashion, technology serves the purpose of connecting families more so than disconnecting them.
This blog brought up a very good point. I sometimes feel like I talk to my friends at home more online than on the phone when I am at school. Technology has created this world that allows us to develop relationships with people online and it also allows us to remain close to people that we are not able to see everyday. I am worried that I am more connected to some people online than in real life.
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