The last couple of days there has been a discussion going on in the danish Twitterverse about a blog post where he was sad about the social media/technological revolution (in danish) -because it made him and his family sit in front of screens all the time. I think it raises some great subjects, so I couldn’t help but giving you my take on it.
I have always felt trapped in between technological revolutions. Seriously – when I was a kid I loved loved loved playing Civilization and Hero Quest – I could get completely absorbed in the game to the point where my family didn’t see me for a whole weekend – if they’d let me. I remember being FURIOUS if my brother had to borrow the computer and play. I have always been drawn to the games. I can see my daughter is getting as absorbed in it, as I was.
I tend to make it into a family thing to play animal crossing on the wii (which she loves) as I tend to make her help out cooking, create stuff and as she has her “creative online workshop” (a blog) where we posts things that’s she’s build out of cardboardboxes and other stuff. She loves to build, she loves to be read to, and she loves to make stories/movies with a camera and her lego’s (maybe with permission I can post some of it here).
I posted Clay Shirky’s essay called “gin,television and social surplus” in my book “return on involvement” because it’s one of the essays that means most to me. I think it’s spot on to say that the media has changed, and they have become more active (as he does in the essay).
I think the active media and how we use it is all about choice. It’s what we choose to make of it -I sit in front of the computer all day, and there’s nothing that makes me more relaxed than to cuddle up with the family in front of a nice movie, or to spend my nights reading books or doing art. I don’t believe in technology/life balance as well as I don’t believe in work/life balance or family/life balance- I believe in life.
Seriously if you think you spend too much time in front of the screen – get a house, a garden get some kids and get a dog… and you will cherish your time in front of the screen. Set up an environment for yourself where you can’t get absorbed in it. You will love it everytime you get to go into your RSS reader and see what magic is happening in there, because to me, the technology truely is magical.
If you let the technology take over, if you let it separate you from the crowd you’re in, and where you spend you’re time sitting in front of screens.
Like letting your kids play DS all day long,
Like being at conferences – not being present but checking out stuff on the internet
Like playing wii with your best friends instead of being together with them
I think it’s your priorities around the technology that’s not set up properly, and you probably should set them up – otherwise you might miss out on a great deal of living =).
Technology moves SO fast these days, it’s important that you have your priorities set up about it, both from a business, personal and a family point of view. To me the technology is empty shells – it’s just tools
But it’s what you put in these tools and what you decide to create with it, alone or in a group, that counts – it’s not a life takeover – it’s fun, creative, narcissistic and full of possibilities (as well as threats) – make the best of it.
