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Technology takeover has reduced human interaction

Bear with me here, before you offhandedly label me as a curmudgeon; as someone who longs for the “good-old days” (as every older generation seems to), through a foggy, selective memory.

Ah, the 60s and 70s. The Jetsons. Johnny Quest. Lost in Space. Star Trek. Mork & Mindy. Those were my very favorite childhood TV shows.

And my generation watched a lot of TV. We watched with our families and friends, every evening. We were the original couch potatoes and shared a common American experience because, nationally, there were only 3 TV Networks and PBS. There was no way to watch an episode later, at least not until the summer reruns. So, we gathered together, commented, laughed, shushed each other and then discussed those shows all week.

We were raised on the wonder of fast-paced tech advances and the quick growth of each person’s possibilities, as that technology progressed. People would someday have more time to realize their potential – to not be bogged down by uninteresting drudgery and focus on what’s really important. Now, I wonder if we weren’t incredibly naive.

In 1993, when I interviewed our first Big Brothers Big Sisters families and volunteers, I wrote up those interviews on the latest technology, which was a glorified typewriter attached to a printer. The family homes I visited had TVs and landline phones, but certainly not one per person. Look at some of the technological advances in the past 23 years: personal computers, DVD players, iPods, laptops, cell phones, internet, Netflix, Kindles, iPads, hoverboards, driverless cars, Pokemon Go.

We gain so much from Apple, Amazon and Microsoft that it’s easy to disregard how they have quietly taken over our lives. We can conveniently be entertained every minute of every day by our devices, as can our children.

People used to interact much more. Now, in a doctor’s waiting room, a restaurant line, waiting for a friend, or walking around town, everyone is talking on their phones, texting or looking for Pokemon, completely oblivious to everyone around them.

I don’t think I’m alone in texting or calling someone just to avoid friendly banter with strangers in public. My family has, or has had, most of the cool new technology toys and are as engrossed as anyone in texting, game apps, binge-watching TV shows, googling, social networking, media sharing and blogs. It has become a way of life for a lot of people. But is it all the life we want and need?

Kids used to get bored and whine to their parents that there was nothing to do. Parents sent them outside to play, threatening to find them something to do (meaning tedious chores).

After enough of that type of interaction, and parents started thinking about 4-H or Scouts or Big Brothers Big Sisters, to have their children develop new interests and skills. Today, all of these organizations are struggling with drops in membership. There are a lot of opinions as to why, but the lack of bored children, reminding their parents that they need to broaden their horizons, is top on the list, in my opinion.

Growing up, I anticipated jetpacks and casual interplanetary travel for all, but didn’t imagine the social consequences of progress. Technology is amazing! I personally can’t wait to see what the iPhone 7 has to offer, but let’s keep this all in perspective.

Children need to DO. They need to participate. They need to look up from their computers and phones, and find out what they are good at and what they enjoy.

Please consider the children in your life and look into helping them discover who they are, in the real world. If you have a 6-12-year-old in a nontraditional family, I encourage you to check out the local BBBS website upkids.com, because there is nothing like a good mentor to help a young person look up from their phone long enough to build self esteem, while broadening their horizons.

Nancy Bergdahl-Birondo is the manager for the U.P. Kids Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

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