Progress is good, right?

[Sirona]

When I was young, adolescents met at the hamburger and root beer drive in, drove en-mass in circles, parked in secluded places to make out, and too young girls got pregnant. They didn't have all the technology, but managed to be constantly connected, had feelings of insecurity, desired instant gratification, and behaved more or less like teenagers today.

 

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Firstly, awesome! Root beer definitely needs to make a come back. Secondly, the fact that they went outside is more the point rather than what they got up to. If you go outside, how many kids and teenagers do you see around? I don't see many. I believe it's difficult to develop necessary social skills you need to make connections with people and form and maintain relationships if you spend most of your time on your phone and computer; I throw myself out there as an example. I didn't meet guys to have burgers and make out in cars, instead I lived through my pixel character killing on one screen and flirting in clan chat; sure my parents are grateful that I never had sex with 'real' boys but I am paying the price for it now as my social skills are seriously lacking.

 

I am not saying that progress with technology is bad; I'm simply saying it should not replace belonging to real communities and having real friends otherwise we are just going to isolate ourselves from the outside world. At school we were either on our phones or laptops; we didn't run around, jump rope, play hand ball or any of the things my parents generation did. So, although I think it's important to use technology as part of your everyday life, it should be an extension rather than your primary source of entertainment and socialisation.

[EdEarl]

Sirona,

I agree that virtual relationships do not replace real ones. Today parents are afraid to let their children play outside whether they happen to live in the suburbs and have a yard or live in the city and have a park, a contributor to kids growing up playing video games instead of baseball, football, hopscotch, etc. as my generation did when young. My hometowns were typically small, and my parents allow me to walk a few blocks to the edge of town and walk into fields, as there were no parks nearby. It is fortunate virtual technology exists to replace outside play, but it is no where near as good for anyone as the real outdoors, but IMO technology is not the cause of the change in play venues. We had television, and I was an avid watcher, but friends and outdoor play were often a better option.

[Sirona]

Sirona,

I agree that virtual relationships do not replace real ones. Today parents are afraid to let their children play outside whether they happen to live in the suburbs and have a yard or live in the city and have a park, a contributor to kids growing up playing video games instead of baseball, football, hopscotch, etc. as my generation did when young. My hometowns were typically small, and my parents allow me to walk a few blocks to the edge of town and walk into fields, as there were no parks nearby. It is fortunate virtual technology exists to replace outside play, but it is no where near as good for anyone as the real outdoors, but IMO technology is not the cause of the change in play venues. We had television, and I was an avid watcher, but friends and outdoor play were often a better option.

I think we're saying the same thing, EdEarl

 

Having a television set might not have been enough to keep you from playing outside, but what about if you also had internet (free online games, porn, forums, live streaming, chat), console games (including virtual) and smart phones? I think that would change the picture a little.

 

Technology I agree is not the sole cause, but it plays a significant factor in children and young adults replacing the real world with the virtual world. Parents have a major responsibility as well as schools and communities so that technology is an extension rather than replacement. You also want to make sure they're involved in meaningful tasks when using technology too. A friend of mine has a company which teaches children how to program and about robotics; they have many incursions available for schools to book and that's one example of how schools can make it meaningful.

 

[EdEarl]

Sirona #28

It's impossible to judge whether all the electronic toys would have enticed us to stay inside. I'm too old to remember what it was like to have a young body. Society has changed greatly; mom actually cooked and we made ice cream by hand crank.

 

My grandson, 4, likes to watch TV, but sometimes he just needs to run, and outside is good for that. I hope he continues to be that energetic.

[Sirona]

Sirona #28

It's impossible to judge whether all the electronic toys would have enticed us to stay inside. I'm too old to remember what it was like to have a young body. Society has changed greatly; mom actually cooked and we made ice cream by hand crank.

 

My grandson, 4, likes to watch TV, but sometimes he just needs to run, and outside is good for that. I hope he continues to be that energetic.

It has changed a lot; there is a positive side to it too. I've only discussed the negative impact thus far, but there is a lot of benefit to growing up online. For as long as I can remember I've spoken to people from all over the world, different ages, races, experiences all together in the one forum. My generation is a lot more tolerant as a result of internet communication. I've always had the answers to anything I wanted to ask at my finger tips. I didn't have to rely on the knowledge I could obtain from my family, teachers or my local library and that definitely provides endless learning opportunities if you are curious enough to seek online.

 

I remember my dad had these leather encyclopedias (a lot of you guys will remember these) that he had kept since he was a youth in the 60s and 70s and whenever I had an assignment he would force me to use these and I remember the information was so out of date and limited compared to the research I did online. I suppose the encyclopedias were important to him in retrospect, but I always found the information so limited.

 

I suppose the real answer lies in how we use technology, to what extent and to what purpose.

[StringJunky]

Firstly, awesome! Root beer definitely needs to make a come back. Secondly, the fact that they went outside is more the point rather than what they got up to. If you go outside, how many kids and teenagers do you see around? I don't see many. I believe it's difficult to develop necessary social skills you need to make connections with people and form and maintain relationships if you spend most of your time on your phone and computer; I throw myself out there as an example. I didn't meet guys to have burgers and make out in cars, instead I lived through my pixel character killing on one screen and flirting in clan chat; sure my parents are grateful that I never had sex with 'real' boys but I am paying the price for it now as my social skills are seriously lacking.

 

I am not saying that progress with technology is bad; I'm simply saying it should not replace belonging to real communities and having real friends otherwise we are just going to isolate ourselves from the outside world. At school we were either on our phones or laptops; we didn't run around, jump rope, play hand ball or any of the things my parents generation did. So, although I think it's important to use technology as part of your everyday life, it should be an extension rather than your primary source of entertainment and socialisation.

On the other hand, the internet allows one to access minds and information that one might not find in their locality...and up-to-date as well. I was a committed bookworm as a child, reading at least one a day. The only trouble was, the books I got from the library about science, in the 60s and 70s were at least 10 to 20 years out of date. Flemming, Curie, Koch, Pasteur et al were the most recent that I found there. Now, one can read about stuff that's just in planning phase. Amazing. I've done all those things that you lament are absent in modern youth, I am more than happy to drown myself in the internet now... input ...data! I find it quite shocking how many people now are looking at their devices or got headphones on in public, absent in mind from the life going on around them.

[Sirona]

On the other hand, the internet allows one to access minds and information that one might not find in their locality...and up-to-date as well. I was a committed bookworm as a child, reading at least one a day. The only trouble was, the books I got from the library about science, in the 60s and 70s were at least 10 to 20 years out of date. Flemming, Curie, Koch, Pasteur et al were the most recent that I found there. Now, one can read about stuff that's just in planning phase. Amazing. I've done all those things that you lament are absent in modern youth, I am more than happy to drown myself in the internet now... input ...data! I find it quite shocking how many people now are looking at their devices or got headphones on in public, absent in mind from the life going on around them.

Absolutely. I remember I had a math teacher who was wrong about almost everything; he even made us tear out the answers in the back of our textbooks because apparently they too were wrong. That's when a smart phone came in handy in the classroom the most because you can't always trust state education either

[Robittybob1]

Absolutely. I remember I had a math teacher who was wrong about almost everything; he even made us tear out the answers in the back of our textbooks because apparently they too were wrong. That's when a smart phone came in handy in the classroom the most because you can't always trust state education either

That's pretty amazing. Did he stay on as a teacher? You should have used your smartphone to report him.

[Ten oz]

Moral fortitude, progress, good vs bad; do any of those have natural truths? To an extent this things is asking what is the purpose of life. Is there any inherent natural value in humans ability to produce technology; if not than any answer is a self-indulgent one? Many of our greatest accomplishments have come at great cost. Our study of atoms birther quantum mechanics yet that study also produced bombs which have already killed people and have the potential to kill us all. What is the net value of such progress?

[dimreepr]

Moral fortitude, progress, good vs bad; do any of those have natural truths? To an extent this things is asking what is the purpose of life. Is there any inherent natural value in humans ability to produce technology; if not than any answer is a self-indulgent one? Many of our greatest accomplishments have come at great cost. Our study of atoms birther quantum mechanics yet that study also produced bombs which have already killed people and have the potential to kill us all. What is the net value of such progress?

 

 

Thank you, my thoughts on this so far have been a little confused as exposed by the members, your post has focused my thinking somewhat.

 

It’s not just the physical aspects of progress that has a balance sheet:

 

The poor get poorer, fatter and sadder.