Our digital devices have slowly become extensions of ourselves, like a cyborg hand that serves as our second brain. For example, it is now hard to imagine leaving the house without your cellphone, as it is one of the tools that you’re most
Our digital devices have slowly become extensions of ourselves, like a cyborg hand that serves as our second brain. For example, it is now hard to imagine leaving the house without your cellphone, as it is one of the tools that you’re most reliant on. Some have even gone so far as to say that without their smartphone they feel “naked."
Technology is exponentially changing and expanding its capabilities, which is having drastic effects on our culture. We see the biggest social changes, spurred from the growth of our digital age, within our children. The youth of our day are referred to as “digital natives,” as they were born into a society with a major reliance on Internet, cell technology and advanced computers.
There are many benefits and challenges that our children will encounter in our digital world that will affect their social life, education and health.
Social LifeYour child now has a split social life: partially in-person and partially through their devices. Kids are more connected to their friends than ever before. If your child always has his smartphone on him, he always has the capability of connection with his peers. Many kids employ social platforms, like Instagram, Vine, Twitter and Snapchat, as communication tools. They are also constantly texting and video chatting with friends, whenever given the opportunity.
The positive aspect of this is that this generation will be excellent and resourceful communicators. They are aware of the tools that will help them connect with others and they exercise the interpersonal skills frequently. Their interconnection helps them receive and release information quickly, without many barriers.
The downside of this lightning-speed connection is that damage can be done in an instant. If your child has a lapse of judgement and writes something inappropriate on a social platform or text, it can spread like wildfire. A misguided tweet can be captured in a second, even if deleted almost immediately.
EducationAccess to information has never been easier. The Internet is a powerful resource in the academic environment, as kids can quickly access information and gain knowledge. Kids can find information instantly, but is it the right information?
A worry is that kids may not be able to differentiate between reliable sources and unreliable sources. For example, a government website is going to have the most accurate information about particular laws, versus a citize