The Arrowhead
How Much Technology Has Taken AwayWednesday, May 30, 2012 By Liz Hall
Ever wondered what happened to the days where you could sit down for dinner with your family without technology finding its way into the meal? One of your siblings is checking their phone for text messages. Another sibling is looking at sports updates. Your dad is making or picking up a business call. And the news on the TV is on the background. Can you remember a time when you’ve had an honest dinner with your family without technology involved? Not only does technology take away from social and family activities, but it also takes away your well-being. Being able to talk to people face-to-face is important. But a ccording to PewResearchCenter Publications, cell-phone texting is the preferred channel of basic communication between teens and their friends, with cell-calling a close second. Pew Research says, “Some 75% of 12-17-year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004. Those phones have become indispensable tools in teen communication patterns. Fully 72% of all teens—or 88% of teen cell phone users—are text-messagers. That is a sharp rise from the 51% of teens who were texters in 2006. Now more than half of teens (54%) are daily texters.” Technology is fun, educational and enjoyable—but there comes a time, even when we don’t realize it, when it can distract us from the more important things in life. |