Digital Kids

August 31, 2007 · Comments

weirdbird.jpg exploring
These children are five and one and a half. They are more privileged then some in some regards, insofar as they have DSL and a pair of parents who know about technology and the world outside their proximity. That in mind, I have some thoughts.

Some Things to Consider

  • My children believe television is provided by Apple.

  • They believe you can pause TV, shift it from room to room, manipulate it.
  • They think TV is videogames, google, weather.
  • They think music comes in iPods, and that I can go back and play it again.
  • Phones are for pockets.
  • When Daddy’s away, they can see him, watch him do work, share videos, play games remotely.
  • They make movies and photo collages and songs for gifts to their grandparents.
  • They aren’t social networkers now, but they could be.

Sure my kids have a life away from the scary rectangle. We swim, play at the park, run around and have adventures. But this age of connectedness, of controlling our media, of being able to reach who we want, how we want, when we want, and to timeshift EVERYTHING, these are big things. Monumental. Consider for a moment my childhood:

From My Childhood:

  • Television was black and white and infrequent.

  • If what was on didn’t appeal, I walked away, or more often, watched blankly until I got my fill.
  • Music was vinyl, easily damaged, and very very finite.
  • If I wanted to be creative, it ended up as a single serving entity. Only my parents or whoever I could reach physically could see it.
  • The people in my neighborhood were the people I could meet.
  • Everything was handed down, and there was no up.

There is power in this. Personal power. This is the ability to choose what we do with our media, and how we relate to other people. Yes, it’s digital, but it’s also the way that we make relationships across the glass. Huh, there’s another one: screens aren’t glass.

What do you think?

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  • Yup- but the cartoons were better and they were more real.

    We had the Flintstones, Mighty Mouse, The Jetsons.
    The only thing that comes close are The Simpsons

    We also had The Wonderful World of Disney, Davy Crocket, McHale's Navy, Leave it to Beaver.

    I am not saying one is better than the other. It's also to let our kids unplug once in a while.
  • My 3 kids (19 - 24) are the last generation to remember a time before the Internet. Is that like remembering before cars or telephones, or fundamentally different? All three technologies shrank the world in different ways.
  • Welcome to the world of digital natives and digital immigrants....
  • It's an on-demand kinda mentality and culture though that we NEVER expererienced as children. We had to ask permission to open our mouths, let alone dare ask and expect to get things we might have had a fancy for.

    I grew-up in a rather strict, forboding, utilitatian environment where children were to be seen and not heard, and rarely did they interact with adults on a conversational level. When they were older, they were expected to work within the family structure.

    In contrast, for example, my child, 7, is quite fond of the character Tonks in Harry Potter book. So she just typed in "Tonks" into Google Images, found herself a picture of Tonks, printed it out, cut it out and created a sort of tableau where she could interact with that character.

    It's still hard for me, as a forty-something mom, to imagine that sort of creative license and freedom and downright luxury they take for granted. Then again, I'm still amazed at the birth control pill!
  • Sounding a little Grandpa-ish this morning are we? Yes the world is sure moving fast. Most interesting to me, we were all taught "Don't talk to strangers", a value which now seems untenable and boring, and--if passed on-- one which would severly hinder our children's ability to get ahead.
  • My kids are totally on the same path. Sierra already thinks she can watch any cartoon at any time and that when a camera is out she asks if its a picture or video. I'm engrossed in the digital world and it's invedible that my kids will be the same, only at a much earlier age. I'm 25 now and didn't get my first pc until I was 18. Sierra will be surfing the web by the time she's 4 I'm sure.
  • I still have a hard time grasping that when I was a child you called someone to actually speak with them... no answering machines, no voice mails, no call waiting... if the line was busy you kept trying until it was free...

    but does technology bring us closer?

    My husband is currently working in Vermont in an area with no cell phone reception... but the internet signal is great. The only way we can communicate is through video ichat... and it is simply fantastic... seeing Guiesseppe, all his facial expressions, his gorgeous smile, his beautiful face is truly the next best thing to being there.. the only thing I can't do is touch him. It is so much more intimate than a phone call. It makes being apart almost (almost!) a pleasure.

    score one for technology!
  • Cool reflections but I would say that each era of childhood has its advantages.

    My "tv" was books and theatrical productions that my friends made up and put on. (It also was the 3 channels we could get and I watched a ton of whatever it was)

    Games were what we and the neighborhood kids made up. We were the generators of content, not the recipients because there were few alternatives. (Yes kids today can generate but they can also just be consumers)

    Because travel was infrequent (and expensive) Daddy & Mommy weren't away that often and when they were I was with them exploring new places.

    When we walked away from home the phone stayed at home and there were no interruptions.

    When I shared my creations the person I was sharing them was there and I could watch their reactions.

    The power of the net is awesome and gives today's kids opportunities we never had, but at the same time the new tools have their disadvantages. I think your kid's greatest advantage is that they have parents that love them and spend time with them.
  • The day my youngest daughter was born, we had a meeting at the trade show where I was working. We decided to change the name of the show from Multimedia to newMedia.

    And then my wife called to tell me it was time to go to the hospital. My daughter is definitely a child of the new media.

    As always Chris your posts are dead on.
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