Are We Too Connected to our Devices?

After the Baby Boomers, there was Generation X, then Generation Y and Generation Z. They are categorized by the events that influenced their lives. What about the current generation? Should we rightly call them Generation LED? The Screen Staring Generation? 

My youngest nieces and nephews are perfectly comfortable holding a tablet and will be contented staring at it for hours. At the young age of 2 and 4, they can navigate a smart phone or a tablet using the touch screen and understand that when you do a certain action with your finger, something happens. In fact, they expect it.

I remember one time when I gave my niece a magazine when she was just over a year old. The magazine had pictures on it and it fascinated her for a while... and then she did something with it that I found really amusing... she swiped her finger across the page, repeatedly.. and when nothing happened, she threw the magazine away in frustration. Our young generation is hot-wired for interactive screens! and why not? They were born with the technology.

But it's not only the young generation that's affected, even Generation X, my generation, has become addicted to the advances in digital and communication technology. In fact, our generation appreciates it more since we saw the digital revolution happen! We went through the Pager, the XT, the

first bulky Motorola mobile phone that came with it's own carrying case. We witnessed the rise and fall of Nokia, the first colored computer, the introduction of Windows, the rise of Apple, the first MP3 player, the transition from VHS, CD, DVD to USBs. You can include the progress of video games which we played on the ATARI, NES, SEGA, SNES, Playstation and the Xbox. We experienced it all and we can see how far gadgets have progressed.

The Digital Revolution

I spend my 24-hour day usually looking at some type of screen for 15 hours. That's the whole time I'm awake. I work on my Samsung, then switch to my laptop, relax by watching TV and then get ready for sleep by reading eBooks. It makes you wonder how that affects our relationships. Sure, we send messages through SMS and Chat, but that's not the same thing as spending quality time with our friends and loved ones! We've become so connected but disconnected at the same time... disconnected from the present and living in our own digital world.

Even though I am also a digital addict, I am bothered by the way we spend too much time on our devices nowadays. We won't even know what's happening around us without Facebook or Twitter. There's not enough face time spent just enjoying each other's company... and even when we're with our loved ones and friends, one hand is always holding a smart phone or a tablet - ready to entertain when we get bored with the present company.

Our Own Digital World

Generation LED will probably find nothing wrong with it cause that's the world they were born into. But i can remember a time when there were no Smart Phones or Tablets or PCs and people talked to each other, looking at each other's faces and enjoying some form of activity. When I was a child, I played board games with my Mom and those were wonderful memories. We went out a lot then... today, most people would be contented to just stay home and stare at their screens for hours on end.

I'm saddened by this. I once took a picture of a group of friends in a restaurant so I can show my husband how weird it is that they went out for dinner but every one of them was fiddling with their devices - heads bowed down, fingers typing or swiping. What a sorry sight it was...

I wish we could disconnect every once in a while and just spend time creating more meaningful memories with people. We don't appreciate and enjoy each other's company like we used to and our relationships are definitely getting the short end of the stick. We should encourage our young ones to do other things too aside from Facebook before their relationship skills suffer.

Technology has enabled us to connect globally and it's generally a good thing. It has allowed people who live far apart to connect with each other and somehow get comfort in spite of the separation. But we should also take notice of those who are just around us and see if we are giving them the quality attention that they deserve.. don't you think? We should be connected to people, not devices.

Shutting down now.