Since we haven’t had any new readings, I am going to base this blog post on the broader picture the last few readings (Articles 12-15).
Technology is becoming a bigger part of everybody’s life. In many ways, it is replacing things we used to do personally. Instead of listening to records together, we send file links. Instead of meeting in real life, we chat on the phone. Instead of enjoying each other’s company, we Skype. The question that seem to be at stake, in all of these articles, is, “how much is too much?” Will technology completely overpower the older, personal way of living? And ultimately, is this a good thing?
While nobody can really have the answers to any of these, scholars are doing a great job at keeping the conversation going. My opinion is that we can definitely lose track of reality and get caught up in the digital reality. When 12 year olds want iPads more than basketball hoops, that is a problem in my opinion. While pixels and Angry Birds can really keep a child quiet on a road trip, it isn’t how he needs to spend his entire winter break, in my humble opinion. Reclusively using an iPad, or even being with a dozen friends, all using their own gadgets and gizmos is losing sight of what it meant to be a kid.
To me, being a kid meant being reckless. It was getting home from school, playing football and coming back to wash off your scrapes before supper. It was getting hurt and getting back up. It was being forced to work through problems. Whether it was deciding whether or not Johnny was “out of bounds” or who gets the ball first… these were issues you had to work out. You learned to compromise, a skill you will use forever. I’m sure you can compromise iPad time as well, but it isn’t quite the same.