My sons, 12 and 14 years old, will be the last of their friends to get a cell phone. The 12 year old’s friends use their cell phones to make crank calls to pizza places and girls they know. (While the technology changes, the concept doesn’t.)
Our house is one of the few on our block that doesn’t have cable or dish satellite. We still depend on strategic placement of "rabbit ears," the old-fashioned antennae on that sits on top of a television, to get a clear PBS channel.
While the kids do play video games, we draw the line at Halo, a "mature" rated game that their friends play.
We are out of the mainstream when it comes to using technology for entertainment.
And what I noticed is that our family, especially my husband and I, have internal measures of success that don’t follow society’s measures. For us, gadgets doesn’t up the scorecard. It creates distraction and costs money. Money that could be going towards something else. Like books.
I’m sure there’s both an upside and a downside to this. For now, I consider it a blessing to be different.
McLuhan thought that technology is the great equalizer. Just like the printing press which was one of the most important inventions in history (since it provided everyone access to information), he thought technology to have the same effect. Technology is powerful to an extent. However, in some cases, it also divides people. If your children understand that technological stuff shouldn’t always be regarded with high value, they’ll be less burdened and less insecure when they grow up.
Hi Jen,
Thanks for that perspective. Your example of the printing press is a great one and the Internet has enabled the next leap in making information accessible.
I think where I struggle is with the use of technology for entertainment. It’s an odd jumble of stuff, and as you pointed out, it can divide people. I think of Second Life. While it brings people together, it divides the people who play it (alot) and the people who are close to those who play it (e.g., a spouse) but don’t participate. An article in the Wall Street Journal last year talked about a guy who had a virtual wife in Second Life, played entire days with only breaks for the bathroom, and was alienating his REAL wife.
I think my kids are pretty balanced when it comes to values AND it doesn’t override the fact that my older one loves technology and has a passion for gadgets. It’s how he’s wired.
Thanks again for continuing the conversation.