Connected – But Disconnected

As a parent of two young children I can attest that we are losing the war -- not on drugs, violence, or debt – but on technology. Kids today are normalizing their world with gadgets filling up their minds. Their view of the world is seen through screens – smartphones, tablets, computers, video games and television. If they are not on one, they are on another. To multitask for them is to have multiple screens going simultaneously.

They fill empty time with gadgets, rather than use it to dream, think, talk, play, write, draw, or do something other than flick a finger or press a button.

Sure you can blame the parents – they control what their children do. Or do they?

Play dates, school, babysitters, and other time beyond my purview means my kids could be pressing buttons all over the place.

But even when they are right in front of me or in the car, I see them watching videos and shows or downloading music and apps. They read books too – and play non-electronic games and socialize – so I don’t think they are complete vegetables. But I sense that the tech world is luring them into a virtual world that often overshadows the real one.

What is the solution?

It is up to each of us to show and state why real-life activities, human interactions face-to-face, and non-screen time is important, fun, and necessary. If that does not work I suppose I could make a video about this and email it to my kids.

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This blog is copyrighted material by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2013 ©