Children of the Screen

I think that the majority of people in today’s society are children of the screen even if they would not openly admit so. It would seem as if we have unintentionally slipped into a less than ideal state of “relaxation” with technology at large, televisions in particular. Honestly, every once in a while I have caught myself spending a substantial amount of time looking at screens. Whether it is the screen of a television, computer, cell phone, or an mp3 player I am definitely inclined to spend my days and nights gazing at a screen.

While I thoroughly use technology I do spend the majority of my time outdoors and reading for fun. As a child we had television readily available in my home, but my mom and I did so many other activities that the television was far from the center of my childhood. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy watching movies and some television shows. However, I am able to get so much more satisfaction from my daily activities. This is why I spend more time with my family and animals than lounging in front of the television.

I definitely agree with Baylon that we will lose our true natures if we adjust our lifestyles to fit the “reality” created by television. While watching television you are not actively doing anything unless the show is somewhat educational. Even then, you are not really accomplishing much by sitting in front of the television. If I had to find an upside to the dominance of screens in our lives it would be that people are informed on daily occurrences in the world. Of course, this information is not just the truth, often times it is embellished and biased. Because of the huge amount of information available on the internet people are no longer left “out of the loop” when they do not have a television.

A large portion of America’s children have also joined the group of people obsessed with our screen technology. Because of parents’ often hectic schedules it seems that television is a good way to relax which demonstrates to children that watching television often is all right. Video games, movies, and television shows start to severely influence these kids. All of this time spent with the television is also a large contributor to childhood obesity. Eating and watching television just seem to go hand in hand because while you feel “occupied” you are not occupied to the point of being distracted from the bag of chips calling your name.

All in all, I think becoming a child of the screen is a conscious choice for all people with the exception of young children. While certain things are genetic, wanting to watch television incessantly is probably not. You can control your circumstances and each person chooses whether or not they will sit in front of a television for the majority of their life, or if they will get out and live their lives with a bigger purpose.