Was reading the other day how today's youth (have we dubbed them "Generation Web" yet?) are so reliant on the Internet that if their computers crash, they don't wake up. They don't remember a time before the proliferation of Web access, much less those dark days before Al Gore invented it. They were born to blog, created to chat, taken to texting. To some of them, e-mail is a dinosauric prospect. I still think it's neato and coolio!
I remember the days before the Atari 2600, the Commodore 64 and – our first home computer – the Texas Instruments 99-4A. Internet access was a distant memory. For my sister, back then was all about Cabbage Patch Kids, Strawberry Shortcake and My Pretty Pony (all decidedly low-tech toys that required imagination, not batteries). What did we do? We went outside and played in the sunshine! What a concept!
Is this "progress" a bad thing? Not all by itself. It's the results that such technology is producing that is so baaaaaaaaad. Let's look at some of those:
• Laziness is easier. Why get up off our butts and go somewhere? We can shop online! Heard on the news this morning the results of a study that suggests students who have daily access to computers at school are dumber. Their reading and math scores are generally lower.
• Penmanship suffers. Can anyone see the handwriting on the wall? No, because it's too hard to read. All this techno-mailing has robbed us of basic skills. A pen in hand is better than two in the bush.
• Anti-socialness is easier. This decade's singles bar is a chatroom. Does anybody else see something wrong with that?
• Rumors spread faster. It's easy to forget that you can't believe everything you read when there's just so much stuff floating out there.
• We're getting fat. Maybe not you or me (well, OK, I'm rowing that boat a bit, too), but look at the world. At least in the U.S., the statistic is bouncing off the guts of 60 percent obesity. Some children are facing formerly adults-only ailments such as heart disease. Good grief!
• We have a false sense of importance. Cell phones encourage us to talk WHEREVER! WHENEVER! TO WHOMEVER! ABOUT WHATEVER! And yet we really don't have more to say. We just think we do. And blogs – has there ever been such a tool for the self-important? We can write whatever we want and possibly find a receptive audience for it!
• Who has time to relax? The incessant beeping, spamming and line jamming going on is insane-o! We create stress when our Internet is down and we can't check all the Nigerian financial scams, penis and breast enlargement messages and free porn links. Unplug and unwind, people!
And yet the forum for all this is a blog, named after me in a way (for those who aren't sure, my real name isn't "Texas T-bone"). It's a bit self-important. It started as a way to pass the time at a boring job (at which I no longer work). It's become a lot less, I know, but I'm still kicking out words now and then. Some people even read them, and I continue to enjoy interacting (albeit lazily and virtually) with those kind enough to leave comments. Although few do these days, the quality of thought put into them is generally still pretty high.
Being a technological dinosaur, I have a question for any members of Generation Web out there: My computer keyboard hasn't been quite the same since I spilled water on it last week. Why is that?
You've either caused one of the little IC chips in the keyboard to malfunction or the water has left small mineral deposits in the contacts under the keys.
Also, electrical and electronic gadgets operate on the smoke principle. Smoke actually makes these little gems of modern technology perform as designed. Once the smoke escapes, the unit fails... Therefore, it is assumed that these units operate on smoke.
Can I add that Generation Web will never know any kind of life other than that of the constantly targeted consumer? With the added in-home/car/school/pocket portal, the amount of advertising our brains are receiving these days is so overwhelming, it surpises me that our synapses haven't gone on strike and stopped firing altogether. It's no longer everywhere, it's now EVERYWHERE.
It makes me sad that kids these days aren't finding the joy that is playing outside. Riding bikes especially.
We played a LOT of street hockey..we held bike marathons, we put on plays in our garages..we even sat under trees and *gasp* talked.
I'm so glad there weren't computers and cell phones and the like when I was a kid.
SO glad.
:)
A lot of the comments you made in this post have been worrying me for a long time. The obesity - and especially in children, the laziness, and so many other things you listed.
I am fortunate enough to earn a good living sitting at my computer at work, and spend about an hour a day at my home pc - playing. But I know what a trap it can become. I am watching children I love not learn to ride bikes, play stick ball, even go to a friends house after school. And it is very sad.
I wish more people could see the traps that have been set for this generation.
Hi there T-bone....long time no see....just wanted to drop by and see what you were up to. Very AWESOME post, btw! I hope your doing well :)
Great post, T-Bone! I had all those toys you mentioned. My brother had The Fall Guy and GI Joe. I about died laughing when I came across three of his old lunchboxes (remember those?) in an antique store in Durant! I even called him on my cell phone to laugh! I laughed for about two weeks- then I saw all MY old lunchboxes in the same store! Strawberry Shortcake was one. My Pretty Ponies was another. Bah! It seems sad to me that the kids don't go out and play like we did, but I guess every generation has it's own memories. Maybe theirs will be as good for them as ours are for us? Hopefully, anyway.
Worrisome, indeed. My own children were never slaves to the computer or computerized games. They were busy outside, on drill teams, on softball teams, etc. Even now, they typically only use the computer for school work. My step-teens, however, are rarely outside and physical. They are consumed by electronic games, online games and chat rooms. It bothers me a lot, but as a new stepmom, I am wary of imposing too much change.
And gadgets like camera phones and text messaging help students CHEAT in school!! No wonder they're dumber.
You nailed it, mi amigo.
It makes me sad that my nephews (16 and 13 yrs old) who live in FL -- never play outside. My younger nephew JUST learned to ride a bike - too late for the older one -- wouldn't be seen on one. Not to mention, he's got another issue -- hugely obese.
Yeah, they live in FL.... Kills me that they don't take advantage of the weather/climate -- esp since their auntie is total spaz/active girl. :)
They're reality is Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo/GameCube -- I'm sorry -- maybe these are all the same, I don't know -- never played a video game...
When there were Hurricane-induced power outages for 5 days this summer/fall, I worried for my sister's sanity....
I feel sorry for this generation, but hope they can get off their collective asses and shake 'em, before their health gets too bad...