Is technology helping or hurting?
I can't really see your problem, you are free to live your life as you see fit, if you want to live in some wilderness you can do it, if you want to live without technology, you can do it you have made no mention of the advantages that technology has brought us all, why not? I think the main clue is the 'Family' bit, living away from home etc. If that is indeed the case, technology has enabled your family to reunite whenever they feel the need, no matter how many miles away they are! As for the 'healthy' bit, I am sure that you know as well as I do that thanks to technology we are all living longer (fat or not)! As for the TV that is a matter of choice watch it or not. And if it wasn't watched as you suggest what indeed could be accomplished, more technology? I think you have just got a weight off your chest by writing this question , it certainly helps doesn't it? Good look if you are really trying to send us back to the dark ages, but I don't think you really mean it ?
If you had to spend a day not using any technology, what would you do?
Go outside and do stuff. Probably clean the house
Is technology making us a dumber society?
I think that technology has dumbed America down. We as a society now rely on technology for everything. Many people don't know how to live one day without using some type of technology. I think that it is horrible because one day the technology won't be there for us and we won't know what to do. I think that technology has eased us of thinking on our own that many of us don't even know how to think for ourselves. Children are loosing their imaginations because they spend all day watching T.V and playing Video Games. I think that it would be so much better if we taught our children how to think on their own. For example, if we taught them to create their own games or make their own music or things of that sort. The thing that baffles me the most is that although America is the most "Powerful" nation in the world, we are not the smartest. That doesn't really make any sense does it? That we will spend more time wasting our minds away on technology than we will trying to feed our brains with books and writing. Now that we have the ability to have the world at our fingertips, perhaps it will keep people from going out to see things for themselves, to go out of their technological shell and learn about the world firsthand. With the internet we have whatever we want, whenever we want it, so it has created such a LAZY society. The teenage generation of today is so lazy that it scares me to think about how the world will be when they are the ones in the buisness world. They can't even think for themselves! No one wants to be anywhere without thier technology sitting in their pocket. Technolgy should not have turned into the crutch for our lives that it has become.
Why do teenagers like technology so much?
Why are teens always so "bored?" In its' simplest form, I believe that the root cause of boredom is a state of self-absorption, selfishness, or entitlement. It's almost like believing that you have a "right" to be constantly entertained in your daily existence, and then pouting or feeling annoyed because you don't always get what you want. There are always plenty of things to do when you stop to think about it - but none of them seem to be "fun" enough to bother with. I do not believe that this is anything new. Young people usually have fewer responsibilities and more free time on their hands. If you pair this up with a general sense of expectation, that you "need to be" having fun all of the time, or like someone else "should be" responsible for keeping you occupied in a way you think is worth your time - then you are bound to run into reality, sooner or later. And, reality is that all of the "stuff" in the world can't make a person happy, unless you choose to occupy your time in worthwhile pursuits. Not all worthwhile pursuits are "fun." Many of them are repetitive actions, like the taking care of one's duties - whether it be chores, cleaning, working, fixing something that is broken, or helping somebody else get things done that they may need some assistance with. In our culture, we are constantly being bombarded by advertising messages. These messages are designed to create interest in a particular thing - a product, activity, event, or service. We often buy-into these messages without even realizing it. We always want the next best thing, want to fit in, want to by more stylish, cooler, and popular - and as soon as you get the object of your affection, the next thing has already come along - so now you have to have it! This is called, "materialism." We tend to place a high value on the things we see advertised in certain ways. "Technology" is just the current trend. Something else will come along in the future and replace it, or change it, or divide it up into even more specialized categories of products which advertisers will convince you are the next big thing... As long as you are always wanting to have, do, or be the next best thing - you find your present circumstances to be... boring, unremarkable, lame - whatever. The problem is not that you haven't got the next best thing, it's that you don't realize all of the good things you already have.
How many hours per day do you spend reading as academics?
The answer depends on field, I suspect. I’m in a field, “science and technology studies” (which includes, among other disciplines, history, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and policy studies — all focused on science) that crosses humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. My own specialty is public communication of science and technology. So I spend an hour or two a day reading science news, feature stories about science, science websites, science-oriented social media, etc. That’s all just to “keep up” on what’s happening at my “research site.” I probably spend another hour a day reading research articles or book chapters in my field — sometimes for research purposes, sometimes to prep for classes, sometimes to review a draft article for a colleague or to review a manuscript submitted to a journal.Probably once a week or so, I read an entire book in one or two sittings. Now that raises the question, what does it mean to “read” a book? In graduate school, I learned to “gut” a book in about 10 minutes — to look at the table of contents, the index, the notes (to see what kind of evidence is used), to skim the intro and conclusion. Other times, I’ll sit in my rocking chair for hours reading a book.*And I’m not counting the 1–2 hours/day that I listen to an audiobook while walking the dog or going to the gym. Some of those books are trashy detective novels, but sometimes they’re biographies or histories that I want for general professional background knowledge (and just because I’m, you know, interested in history — it’s why I got into my field in the first place!). Does that count as professional or personal reading?Nor am I counting my general consumption of news, because I’m a news junkie. And it happens that I sometimes teach journalism, so all of that can be considered either personal or professional.So: On average, I probably spend 2–4 hours/day reading. But it varies widely and it’s hard to separate what’s professional from what’s personal.* One time, while prepping for my graduate school exams, I had stacks of books I was supposed to be gutting. Something like 10–20/day, as I dimly (and probably exaggeratedly) recall. Then one book, Black Apollo of Science by Kenneth Manning (about one of the first African-Americans to receive a PhD), was just so beautifully written and so engrossing, that I read it cover-to-cover. That was more than 30 years ago, and I still remember the pleasure of reading that book.
How many hours a day do you spend with actual people instead of technology?
Less than 1 hour a day, typically. Some days none at all.But once or twice a week it can be several hours.I recently went on vacation with a friend, and we were together 24/7 for a whole month.
How many hours of electronics per day for children and teens is appropriate?
How many hours of electronics per day for children and teens is appropriate?Probably, more than most parents think is OK.And fewer than most kids want.While research varies, it seems apparent that too much TV or screen time—particularly for young children—can be damaging to their cognitive, social and physical development. At the same time, the world is changing: screens are going to be part of our children’s lives, whether we like it or not. Our children will be disadvantaged if they are not allowed to learn and play in the same way that other children their age do.The American Academy of Pediatrics recently recommended no more than 2 hours of screen time per day for children over two years old. However, it’s important to note that their definition of ‘screen time’ was digital media for entertainment purposes, not other uses of media such as homework.The academy recommended no screen time at all for babies under 18 months, because this time in their lives is critical to brain development and the formation of social connections. For children between two and five years old, an hour a day was recommended. The academy recommends that parents set their own limits for children over six years old and monitor the types of digital media being used by their children. The emphasis should be on balancing screen time with healthy activities such as exercise, sleep and social interaction. Productive time should be prioritised over entertainment time.Electronic devices are simply a way of transmitting information and entertainment, and are not the inherent evil that some parents seem to think. When I was a child I could lie on my bed for hours, lost in the book I was reading. It was bad for my posture, my social skills, and my health. My parents told me I needed to spend an equal amount of time playing, getting fresh air, and getting to know real people. The same principle applies to electronic devices.The following article detailing the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics is well worth reading:New screen time rules for kids, by doctors
Whats your opinion on technology causing depression in teenagers?
Technology is not a bad thing. Learning technology can be very valuable in becoming a successful adult. The reason technology gets a bad rap sometimes, is because teenagers spend 18 hours a day on the computer, tv, or xbox. Technology is a great asset, but teenagers (and some adults) rely on it so much, that it starts to rule their lives.