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Technology – Tool, Teacher or Disturbing Trend?

By: PropellerHed (August 30, 2010)

My wife, who is QUITE computer savvy, calls it 'The Nintendo Generation', something like 'Generation X' or 'Bubble Babies' (my generation). You know how it is, pre-teens walking down the street texting like mad to their friends, children refusing to leave their computer game console on a beautiful summer's day, or worse sitting at the beach with their eyes glued to a GameBoy.

We react with frustration, mixed with a bit of awe, but short of hiding the game controllers or changing the password on the wireless router we feel just a bit helpless. We know that technology is the way of the future (or at least we are told that) and yet in the back of our minds is that nagging worry that perhaps technology is going too fast and in directions we are uncomfortable with.

A few weeks ago I wrote about how the younger generation is starting to value sharing over privacy. Now comes word that technology may in fact be hindering the transition of teenagers to adulthood, especially in the latter stages when our children are leaving home for post-secondary education.

According to Barbara K. Hofer, a psychology professor at Middlebury College in Vermont, technology has allowed kids to depend on their parents to solve even their smallest problems throughout university, stalling their transition into adulthood. From the panicked MSN message to a dire post on Facebook parents are being drawn into their college aged childs life on a minute by minute basis. Gone are the days where you chewed on your lip for several days before making that dreaded call for money to your parents.

Throughout our child's school life we try to be actively involved – solving math problems, editing English grammar, acting as a soundingboard for that first grade school speech.  Dr. Hofer sees that trend continuing into college with students emailing draft assignments to their parents for approval and comment rather than taking advantage of services or peer groups available at the college.

The real problem may not be the technology, although the idea of instant gratification can be enticing. Wrapped up in the speed of new technology is something that has plagued us for millenia – the Empty Nest Syndrome.

As parents, we feel real anxiety and loss when our children head off to college. We feel old, slightly out of date and somewhat at loose ends (even if we have other children at home). In short classic Empty Nesters. The immediacy of Skype, MSN and Facebook makes us feel like we are still actively involved in our children's lives even if they are several thousand miles away. So when they text us a 'crisis' we immediately look for a phone booth to jump into our Super Mom or Super Dad costume!

Obviously if it is a real crisis we NEED to be involved. But are we helping our children out by editing their 3rd year Comparative Literature paper rather than pointing them towards the class's group study session?

Technology is an amazing tool. It can teach our children and us things we never dreamed possible. It can also reveal disturbing trends we need to be aware of.

As for the 'Nintendo Syndrome', I simply take the router offline for 'maintenance'. I know it may not be the most elegant solution – but it works!

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Our resident code jockey is the person responsible for the look / feel / nifty new applications on Teeswater.Ca. Mathan has been a computer nut (one step beyond fanatic) since he built his first analog computer out of bits of wire and spare parts back in 1973 ( Think of Charles Babbage’s Thinking Machine). Since 1976 he has worked on / tinkered with / programmed just about every kind of computer from laptops to mainframes. In 1991 he caught the Internet bug, first running his own 2 line bulletin board system then expanding into Web applications and development, winning numerous industry awards along the way. Currently he can be found in a dark corner of the kitchen muttering about how Windows® is ruining the world and waxing poetic about Linux Mint.

Filed Under: Technology
Tags: computer, Empty Nest Syndrome, feel, MSN