Our son’s first attempt at crawling was inspired by a small electronic device that was situated a few feet away from him—an iPhone. While that in and of itself is not miraculous or special, it parallels the behaviors we see in teenagers and adults. As we have all noticed, sometimes it is difficult to break free from the grasp of the electronic devices at our fingertips.
Forgot your phone? You may as well have forgotten your pants. For most, that oversight is right up there with being naked. Phones and tablets have made things incredibly easier and more efficient for all of us. A side effect of that efficiency is our unwavering reliance on them.
It is difficult to imagine a modern world without the Internet at our beck and call every second. Disputes among friends can be settled within moments, sports fans are no longer reliant on radio or television, and unfortunately work is a simple password away.
Nowadays some parents worry about the impact these devices will have on our children, and what our future generations will look like socially. While the concern is valid on the surface, I believe society as a whole will continue to adapt the social norms to align with the communication channels available.
The arrival of the telephone was an incredible leap in technology and communication. Looking at the various stages the telephone went through would surprise most. I wonder what Alexander Graham Bell would think today if he saw the smart phones that occupy our purses and pockets?
Current perceptions and opinions about technology, and specifically for children, change on a seemingly daily basis. One day, there is too much in the classroom followed by the next when there is too little. The varying opinions expressed mirror the pace at which things change now.
Do I think that our children will be glued to a phone or tablet in another 10 years? No, not in the way we anticipate them to be. Technology will have changed again and phones, and tablets won’t resemble the devices we have today. Will they be entirely obsolete? No, I don’t believe that either; much in the same way that I still know of people who pay for AOL.
If there is a niche to be filled, someone will fill it. We have proven that time and time again. Mobile applications have created an entire industry that provides an enormous number of jobs that didn’t exist ten years ago. Experts predict that mobile devices will be responsible for more website hits than desktops for the first time ever this year. PC sales continue to dwindle for the consumer market as mobile sales continue to climb.
All of these numbers and statistics are indicative of what we already know—we enjoy being connected. That connection only gets stronger and deeper as time goes on and new technologies emerge. However, if we as adults are unable to set examples for our kids by putting the mobile devices down ourselves, we will have a hard time conveying to them how important it is to “unplug” and experience other things first hand.
“Unplugging” can be achieved through a variety of methods (most of which, I’ve ironically come across on the Internet). One of my favorites though, is dining out with friends and family—everyone’s phone gets put on silent, turned upside down, and stacked in the center of the table. The first one to touch the stack of phones has to buy dinner for everyone. That method is a simple, yet effective deterrent while enabling real conversations to take place without distraction.
Similar methods of removing the distraction are being employed in the corporate world as well. So maybe it’s not the device itself that is the problem? Maybe it’s the distraction that it represents.
Like most everything, moderation is a key element in not letting it get out of control. It’s not reasonable to expect that future generations won’t be increasingly more reliant on the newest technology and gadgets that hit the shelves. Hopefully though, those generations will take the strides necessary to ensure that the fundamental parts of the human experience still exist.
Justin LaRocque is the owner of Wirebox Solutions, LLC—a technology services firm for businesses in Central Illinois. He has a Business Administration degree from Eastern Illinois University and has over 10 years of experience in IT.
