"As it is, many students are less able to concentrate, write well, think coherently and synthesize information than they were a few years ago. “When I polled my class, more than half of my students said they wished Facebook didn’t exist. Many told me that Facebook can diminish the quality and depth of personal relationships and weaken their basic communication skills. But, of course, they had to be on it because everyone else was.”
No...
...fucking...
...kidding.
The above quote...not the salty one, the one that precedes it...is from the Maclean's article 'Control, alt, delete?'. It should be required reading for all parents.
"Be a role model for your child, and unplug as a family. 'I’ve heard poignant stories from kids who’ve grown up with parents pushing the playground swing with one hand while texting with the other, or keeping their eyes and ears glued to the phone at their kid’s soccer game. Many kids have told me they feel less loved by their "always on" parents'.”
M Adrian Brassington
On the plus side, the rate at which kids watch television is dropping like a rock. I'd be mighty surprised if Facebook didn't cause some type of minor brain damage (not unlike TV, advertising or other modern media), but Facebook and smartphones are still a HUGE advancement over the 'idiot box'.
ReplyDeleteYes, they are, in terms of 'communicating'. (Let's not confuse an entertainment device with devices that -while providing 'self-entertainment'- are decidedly *not* in the same category.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I'm concerned, the the Top Five List for Absurd Societal Trends include
-cigarettes
-personal lawns
-bottled water
-cell/smart phones
And the hilarious thing is what happens when you try to state the final one to anyone under a certain age. They press 'Ignore/Delete'. LOL
But the thing is...and this applies to Facebook and Twitter as well: if these 'new-fangled whatchumacallits' were so great, why haven't ALL of our relationships improved?
The answer is that to a great extent, they're drugs. Not necessary at all, but our abilities to rationalize their value (As Jeff Goldblum said in 'The Big Chill', ""Don't knock rationalization. Where would we be without it? I don't know anyone who'd get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex. Have you ever gone a week without a rationalization?" And that was three decades ago.) has pushed us forward into this stupor, and frankly, it turns my stomach.
I am no technophobe nor Luddite. But for me, 'It ain't real until you kiss 'em', and what passes for 'communication' within the referenced arena is akin to equating 'making love' with 'gettin' shagged'.