Technology for Children: Stifling or Liberating?
Like other societal revolutions, such as the Agricultural or Industrial, the Technological revolution affects not only mankind’s transformation of the external world, but in fact how the external world shapes humanity as well. This dualism is entirely self-evident with the aforementioned revolutions, as modern historians and academics have been able to locate and analyze the changes, but with the advent of the Technological revolution, the jury is still out.
One’s ability to understand and operate modern technology is not unlike language acquisition— while the older struggle and never gain a fluency, the youth seemingly and effortlessly absorb all aspects of the language. Even seniors with the most advanced exposure to technology still are second to children younger than the iPod. What this indicates is an element of technological aptitude that becomes inherent in the user. While this may seem beneficial to society—the notion of a technologically intelligible populous—detrimental and unrealized side effects of our brave new technological age not yet realized could potentially serve society for the worse.
Is technology beneficial or damaging to our children?
As doctor and professor Gary Small discussed in his book, iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind, the availability of almost instant access to information is rewiring the human mind to deemphasize the importance of concentration and mental focus-particularly among children, who are being raised with unprecedented access to technology. Small notes that as the Internet has essentially evaporated concentration, children suffer greatly in an academic setting. Moreover, academics are beginning to speculate that social networking is eroding, especially amongst younger demographics, interpersonal communication and conversational skills. While adults developed their social skills independent of modern social technologies, children are forming their social identities via virtual interaction, which inserts an interface between human-to-human contact. While these profound changes in human interaction and cognition are irrefutable, their implications remain ambiguous for now.
Despite the startling uncertainties, there appear to be countless positive forces in play due to technological advancement too. On an abstract level, technology, when used correctly, can embody many of the West’s democratic principles, such as liberty, equality, and free commerce. Children are now growing into a world where information and business opportunities aren’t mere property of the elite, but rather property of anyone with access to the Internet. A child can use educational resources on the Internet at a young age to develop a more complex and dynamic mind, and young adults can start businesses via the Internet, and use social networking as powerful tools in marketing and networking. The question remains, will they?
While both positive and negative forces are and will be at play amongst the latest generation of children, it is worth noting that these forces canceling each other out is unlikely. Technology will all but surely alter society profoundly, especially with the rise of modern technology’s first generation of children. To the misanthrope and the socialite alike, technology may have sharply contrasting implications, but in the end, like beauty, the implications shall lie in the eye of the beholder.
The following is a guest post from Waylon Fairbanks. Waylon writes on international politics and modern culture. He is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and writes on accredited online universities for Guide to Online Schools.