Tech on Family Bonds

          It is indeed true that our new generation today is dependent on technologies. Have you ever asked yourself, could you still live without them? We know that technologies give convenience in our lives in almost every aspect in the society whether it’ll be transportation, communication, knowledge, medicine, etc. But how do technologies affect our relationships with our family members?

“8- to 18-year-olds spend an average of 7 ½ hours a day, seven days a week with media. This is not surprising since almost all of our day-to-day activities involve using some form of media. Whether we are texting on our cell phones, chatting over Facebook, or watching our favorite TV shows, we are continuously interacting with media. Hughes and Hans (2001) found that families with children are more likely to have computers and Internet access than those without children. This is a sound finding considering that the computer is a major attraction for young people and there are several aspects that could contribute to the amount of time they spend with this medium. On average, the amount of time 8- to 18-year-olds spend using the computer daily is about an hour and a half, excluding school work.”

            Children nowadays have different childhood compared to the children born on 90’s. They don’t experience much, playing Philippine games outdoor, getting exposed to the sun for a couple of hours with their fellow playmates, having wounds on their knees because of falling down while running. All they will remember when they grow up is that they played clash of clans, league of legends, and other more games. They also don’t give much time to talk to their parents and siblings because they are always in front of their laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Same thing goes through teenagers. The moment they reach home, the first thing they will do is to check their social networking accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They also prefer chatting through Viber or texting in their phones instead of chitchatting with their parents on how their whole day went. The family is complete and living under one roof but it seems like there are gaps among them because of the reduced bonding moments they have.

            “While many assume that families are fed up with technology, by nearly a two-to-one ratio parents think of technology like computers, cell phones and video game systems as making their family life better rather than worse (32% to 18%). Most describe the influence as neutral (51%). Interestingly, parents are actually even more favorable toward entertainment like music, movies and television than toward technology, saying its influence is more positive than negative by a five-to-one ratio (38% versus 7%). A slim majority of parents feel entertainment is neither good nor bad (55%).”

            Technology also brings positive effects on our lives. Students might have their homework researched on the internet instantly using their laptops or other gadgets to save time and be able to have more family bonding. Siblings with their parents can play games such as Wii or Play Station altogether. The whole family can have a movie marathon quality time in their sala set with their big flat screen television. But the most important thing of all that should be given emphasis here is that you can talk to your loved ones who are not living with you but in other places which are far because of some reasons. A family that consists of an OFW member is already usual and the only way their family whose left here can communicate to their OFW parent is through technology, whether phone calls or video chats. It may not be necessarily an OFW. Let’s take this as an example: most of the students in UP Baguio came from different regions in the Philippines and they only go home maybe once a month or so. Their parents can contact them through constantly calling them or chatting on the Skype to ask how was everything going in their life.

            The point here is, technology can affect your relationships with your family. You are the one who is responsible to decide whether it will be a positive or a negative one. Recreation is not bad at all, you just need to control and know your limitations. Don’t forget that you have a life to live. You have a family to love. At the end of the day, quality time with your family is more important than any activities you have that can make you happy. As a matter of fact, technology can aid to a tighter bond among family members.

References

Villegas, Alessondra (2013) "The Influence of Technology on Family Dynamics," Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association: Vol. 2012, Article 10

How technology is influencing families. (2011). Retrieved March 22, 2015, from https://www.barna.org/family-kids-articles/488-how-technology-is-influencing-families