In Conclusion Baym points out that the internet was not originally designed for interpersonal communications. People took advantage of the affordable technology and transformed it into a social resource. she also points out that technologies are created to foster meaningful personal connections.
In the Pew Internet study Aron Smith details his find with the evolving use of mobile phones. In the study he found both positive and negatives with determining peoples use for their mobile phone. He found that mobile phones can provide: quick access to information, safety in emergency situations. However most people need need a break from their phone since it provides access to many CMC type technologies.
I think CMC technologies will continue to grow. It seems like there is always some new device with built in apps to help better manage you social networks. Technology is bringing people more and more ways to communicate online which could led to f2f social problems as the lack of using body language or social cues. Also another question i have is kids today being born in a world filled with technology. How early will kids start interacting with these technologies.
Well, to answer your last question: my nephew turned 3 in March, and he can already use my sister-in-law’s cellphone to play games, I have seen him using an iPad to watch videos, and all of his entertainment content is on-demand (they have YouTube on their TV). He still loves his books and his legos, but as far as communication tools – can you imagine what his world will be like when he is in elementary school? Will he have always had a cellphone (and probably a smart phone at that). Will he adapt seamlessly to this “always on” lifestyle, or be even more stressed out? Will he ever have the experience of what we think of as privacy?
Of course, I answered your question with more questions – but at the end of the course, I think it’s important to think about how our experiences will contrast with those of my nephew’s generation, who are really and truly “digital natives.”
I have a 3-year-old nephew, too, and he’s the same way. He played the same types of games I remember from when I was young, but his games were all digitized touch screens. He was also very capable of using my sister’s iPhone.
I think their generation will be so used to living in a digital world, it won’t seem stressful to them. There will always be stress, but it won’t be a result of having to adapt to new technology, unless something else of the magnitude of the internet comes along in the next 30 years.
So can we follow your new baby around for the next 18 years and study her? You know, for science!
;-)
Yes, but we might want to skip over the first couple years. As Jason Good pointed out in his blogs, infants and toddlers are mostly concerned with touching random buttons, eating things, crying and going to the bathroom (sometimes all those things at once, but not necessarily in the order).
I have observed the same thing with my girlfriend’s niece. When she was barely two, she was already able to not only play games on her mom’s iPhone, but also input the password. So, I would definitely agree that it’ll be interesting to see how this upcoming generation will interact with technology.
My 4 year old Godson and 2 year old niece can navigate anything with a touch screen. Those softwares were built with intuition in mind, so they are easy to learn. If you are learning those kinds of softwares at such a young age, then it makes sense that it would be second nature to you. Its also important to broaden our understanding of technology. Technically, their plastic toys that light up and play music are technology, but we’ve come to think only of the newest technology as technology. Just think how much the microwave has changed modern cooking, and we take it for granted now.
I have three children and all of them interact with technology. My three year old has been interacting with it since she was one. I’m not sure if this is because she have two older siblings and they use it or the fact that she is just curious. She is actually able to use my phone to play game and take pictures. She know how to text although she only know how to spell a few words. She also know how to access the TV and log on to the computer and get on certain sites. My six year old wanted an IPad for his six birthday and my other son want a cell phone. Although my children are knowledgeable I try to limit their interaction with it because I do not want them to depend on technology for everything. I cannot image how the world will be in a few years.
I noted in my post that my 3 year old niece knows how to get on her mother’s phone and play games, put puzzles together, and dial her grandmother. Technology is an “essential” in the youth’s future. It will be interesting to see how technology sustains it’s power and interest. We all know that things get old and personally I am curious to see when the internet, cellphones, etc. will get old. What will be the next phenomenon? On a S/N I always envisioned being in a flying car like the jetson’s cartoon and pushing a button to spit out my meals! I guess we better buckle our seat belts and enjoy the ride!
I think another huge problem alongside kids and technology is their ignorance of how to interact with people in real life. I read Alone Together by Turkle last semester, and one of the teenagers she interviewed said that he would just have to figure out how to get along with people once he grew up and was forced to be with them for work, etc. People get to hide behind their computer screens and ignore a lot of their life problems, and that doesn’t bode well for raising healthy, understanding children.
I can see this becoming an issue. Day-to-day interaction teaches you a lot about how to behave socially. Not only are you more involved with the other (instead of you as the center), but you learn how to interact with different stressors, struggles, surprises, and how to be more patient and kind. I think there are a lot of intangible benefits to this unmediated interaction. Once we are more reliant on technology, these people skills might be weakened.