The Bête Noire of technology
The sources of entertainment for today’s technological contemporaries aren’t the lovable Simpsons or the Sesame Street folks anymore. Their problems are far more complicated than begging the parents to stay five minutes past bedtime just to watch Zack and Cody wreak havoc in the Tipton. Gone are the times when reading the Archie comics was so unheard of just because Archie would date so many girls. In fact, holding hands is quite common among 5-year-olds and laughing is maudlin because what’s the point when we have the prevalent ‘lol’.
Technology- A boon or a bane; is a standard for many debates, but let’s face it, the side of the boons always prevails, much to the disappointment of a hardbound fanatic such as myself. We are all privy to the fact that technology has changed the lives of many. But the system before the invasion of this non-living element existed for a reason. Life was not confined to the screens of our devices, and the fact that I’m typing all of this on a laptop isn’t exactly helping my case. Unfortunately for me, typewriters are far too expensive and apparently very rare.
Most of my childhood consisted of huge libraries, trunks filled with books that varied from the Britannica Encyclopedia to classics like Pride and Prejudice, short stories by Mr. Conan Doyle, Jeffrey Archer, and of course Orwell’s dystopian novels that owe me abounding nightmares. Apart from this, hours in the local pool, days and nights spent with friends pretending that we had superpowers and running around town, much to the despair of our parents who would take the entire day to track our whereabouts. While this was exhilarating and absolutely pointless, this was still a part of our childhood. Memories were made, worlds explored and experiences gained. What I would give to turn back time and go back to those days is inexplicable.
Regrettably, children today don’t get the same experience with stories, friends and their imagination. They’re confined to their phones or computers, playing distasteful games like choices and makeup salon. Not only does this tarnish their childlike innocence, it teaches them all the wrong lessons. Salon games only teach them that to be beautiful, you require artificial and immaterial products. It sets a body standard and tells them that to fit in, they need to look a certain way, dress a certain way and behave a certain way. As a child I was taught to understand myself before entering the big bad world. I was taught to accept myself for who I was and do what makes me happy, and not what makes others happy. Why I would need to learn which shade of pink suits my skin best, will never make sense to me. When did it become a life skill to know the right kind of lipstick to use or which snapchat filter was the best for your skin tone?
The recklessness of the younger generation towards their lives and their childhood knows no bounds and the fact that parents today aren’t able to change the same, is the beginning of this abyss of problems. I got my first smartphone when I was around 16, and that was because it had become a necessity since both my parents worked and I was the older child. I saw a three-year-old recently who had a phone before I did. At the age of three, I didn’t know what a phone was except that it was another interesting item I could throw out of the balcony of my ninth-floor apartment (true story).
As John Tudor once said, “Technology makes it possible for people to gain control over everything, except technology.” Children today aren’t aware of the concept of ‘limits’. To them life is all about crossing lines that have been set for their safety and well-being. Staying up late on the phone, or video calling each other on a daily basis, in spite of living in the next building because, ironically, what’s the point of meeting up when there are phones. When they aren’t taught that certain limits shouldn’t be crossed, even if they are trivial ones, they’ll spend the rest of their life crossing lines being the rebels without a cause or care that they are becoming.
Life isn’t as easily prorated as good and bad, kind and evil or any other form of bi-subjugation. Similarly, technology cannot be as easily classified as a boon or a bane, because it has proven to be a marvelous asset for mankind and has speedened the process of evolution. However, the way the younger generation is utilizing technology, it most definitely proves to be a hassle to their childhood. Ultimately automation is an inanimate facet of our lives and it comes down to how we utilize it. Technology will forever remain the greatest invention of mankind, but how mankind decides to engage with the same, will determine the actual value of this important facet, and finally summate the question of whether it is a boon or a bane. It isn’t that technology is a bane to mankind, as much as mankind is a bane to the invention of technology.
– Siya Girisaballa
Wow.. Such a deep analysis Siya.. Good read
Thank you so much aunty!
You have put my very thoughts into words…. Hopefully there will be some light at the end of the tunnel n children learn inner beauty instead of external makeup
I think the present lockdown situation is helping us shed light on this matter.. The excessive time that children spend on screens is becoming repetitive and hopefully, soon they’ll want to spend as much time away from electronics as possible.
SiYa.. Very well written and quite apt for the generation of today and those to come.. very Happy to see the awareness in you and ensure you make these thoughts contagious.
Thank you uncle!
Anything in excess is bad.. That’s an age old cliche which holds true even today. So while we are highlighting the perils of technology driving obsessive behaviour in children it’s this very universe that is being targeted by companies for mind share churning out something new everyday.My 2 bit here is that this blunt reality is here to stay. It’s a huge responsibility on parents to play conscious gatekeepers to bring more awareness and sense thru repeated interventions and keep highlighting its perils and limit usages to best extent possible
These are some very insightful words Sir, and I hope that the parents of the future generations see through this vicious marketing tactic that companies seem to have latched on to.
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