Children of the e-Corn

Courtesy of the Telegraph

For dramatic purposes, I decided to write about how the children of this world suffer from addiction to technology. It [tech addiction] can't be a problem unless there is some way to prove that innocent youngsters are falling victim to this "epidemic".

There are children all across the globe that have different accessibility to technology, it might be the Internet, online games, video games or anything else they can get their miniature hands on. Cases have been reported around the world about children going to detox for video game addiction, apparently slaying ogres is as addictive as crack cocaine. To me this is an outlandish disease that should not be given the same treatment as alcoholism. However, I can see how technology can adverse effects on children. In an article from Opera, a rabbi of all things, lists the following:

• Technology turns kids into boring zombies.


• Technology leads to laziness and obesity.


• Technology causes children to stop reading.


• Technology prevents face-to-face interaction.


• Technology separates children from nature.


• Technology depersonalizes everything.

I myself have been victimized by some of these side effects. When I am in front of a screen for to long I feel like a zombie, more specifically I am not mentally present, but rather I'm physically there. It's not fair for me to describe my personal experiences, because I can remember a time before high-speed internet, laptops and other devices that fill our world. Back in my prime, the only thing being targeted at me were action figures and Hotwheels, but now children can link their toys with websites that take the character into an online universe, so where is the creativity going? Such things as Webkinz, Myepets and Be-Bratz are teaching kids that they don't need to play with real people anymore, which of course is taking away from face to face interaction.

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There is even more to just toys, companies are in beginnings of developing touch tablets for toddlers. It's not a surprise to me though I mean kids are a cash piñata, companies just need the right product to break it open. This is what the new kid-friendly tablets are anticipated to be. Look at the new Leap Frog tablet, this device was named toy of the year and if you'll notice it looks almost like an iPad! They're trying to groom kids into the latest technology at age 2.

Children are being targeted by an extremely lucrative industry and it is sad to see that they don't really stand a chance against the wave of innovation that is taking away a childhood that I remember. Kids are missing out on the finer things in life, because the world is telling them that new media is the most important thing right now and life is about being connected. While I don't agree that kids have a chemical dependency, I believe that they are suffering from negative side effects from a changing world.

We are the youth of a nation dominated by iAddiction

Since the day I was able to read, I have had the ability to connect to the World Wide Web. Even though the first 8 years of our relationship was bumpy and on occasion I would get dropped from my after school gaming session after warming up my dial-up for an hour and only getting a 15 minutes of play time, I still made this charade a ritual.

I have found through my years of observing the evolution of technology that my generation and those that follow have had the knot tightened to new media and technology. According to numerous studies, this "knot" has actually become more of an addiction.

In an article from Psychology Today, young people of today are getting a "rush" from the constant stimulation from technology. I can't say I've had a case of shakes from unplugging myself for more than five seconds, but according to WebMd I am a fluke!

The author tells us that our modern lifestyle of being able to complete all of our tasks on the go is both a godsend and a curse. To me it seems that only a certain few are affected by this so-called "addiction". My family has a history of chemical addiction, so it is hard for me to label people as addicts to electronics. Honestly, it makes me feel like psychologists are squeezing lemons into wounds inflicted victims of chemical dependency.

However, I am a person that cannot deny science, so when I read this article from The Telegraph I found that maybe this phenomenon can be proven. Scientists did a study of over 150 students from Bournemouth University, in which the students had to keep a journal of their thoughts throughout the day when they couldn't use their devices.

In a nutshell the study found that the students felt that their bond to technology was much like a chemical dependency. Though it was the journal entries that disturbed me a little bit, "I felt like a helpless man on a lonely deserted island in the big ocean”.

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To me addiction to technology for this generation is very much based on each individual's connection to the virtual world and a preference for interacting in this environment. I can confidently say that I can use technology in a tactful way, in which I can disconnect and join the rest of masses. My relationship with media is strictly plutonic and I plan to keep it that way for the greatest joy in my life is seeing the emotions I invoke in those around me.