Technology – online or offline

Our generation are more “on” than “off”. Always connected, always attached, always reachable. The many consequences of this is still unknown, but many are struggling because of the constant social media pressure.

Technology can be a genius thing, if it is used right, and with the intention to use it wisely. Many are unknown about the many risks that follows with the internet. People take advantage of the unknown. In the preparation material (page 5 of 12, text 3 “If You Log On To The Web Today…) it says that “For every site that ever there was will gather your data simply because on the web today a notion of privacy is for unintelligent persons. People will take advantage of anything, use anything against you for the purpose to harm you. When it is on the internet, you cannot take it away.

There are advantages and disadvantages to the Internet, and smartphones, and tablets, and all the technical equipment we have in our lives.

The “new thing” now is to do online dating over apps, such as tinder. Tinder is an online dating app where the purpose is to “swipe you to true love”. Smartphone apps have turned courtship into an addictive pastime. People says, after trying it, that they are not sure they can go back to analogue dating. It is the new thing, technology is everywhere, and all the time either you want it or not. People are infinitely upgradeable and are able to learn new things quickly.

Children today grow up with technical equipment that was not planned when we were little. We had to go outside to play, with each other and use our imagination to play. Today, children are attached to social media, TV, smartphones, tablets and games from early stage of life. They do not know about anything else, because they are grown up with all the technology. They are used to it. Many scientists have done research to find links between various types of electronic media and the cognitive skills of school-aged children and adolescents. Some founds are frightening. They have found that it may be a link between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and media use, for instance.

(Page 10 of 12, Media and Attention, Cognition and School Achievement)

I agree with the thoughts in this preparation material, but I think it is sad that it has to be like this. That people today get sick of being available and online. It is a stressful world we live in, and many have problems with unwinding and taking breaks away from “their life”. Many today live a double life, one in the real world, one on the Internet. I do not think we can control it any longer either because the technology is everywhere. The development happens even faster. All we can do is to be careful, and think of out lives in another way. You can take breaks and unwind with good conscience.