Kids now a days are way too far different from the kids of the past. And when I say "kids of the past" I am referring to my generation --- the punk kids of the 80s! The specie of unique children who's fond of pop, punk, disco and rock music is unquenchable and whose adoration of Madonna, Boy George and Michael Jackson is undying not to mention of course the insatiable craving for totsie rolls and bazooka bubble gums! Ha ha ha...
Man, I miss the 80s, the decade where kids' recreational activities were simply playing with their Barbie dolls or GI Joes or soar their kites while basking in the hot afternoon sun. Of course tumbang preso, piko, patentero, rubber bands, marbles, and spider fights were also "in" during those days. Games in the 80s were not just physical but at the same time a mixture of wit and strategy. But those were the days. Now, children are playing in a playground build in an intangible world called the cyberspace. A world so interactive yet so unreal. A world where all you have to do is sit all day, focus your eyes on the screen until they hurt, and click click click the mechanical thing they called mouse. A routine of point and click!
My three preschooler cousins, all of them girls, are so addicted with online games in the internet that everyday it's their only form of exercise, that is, if you can call it one. Each girl has her own email and her own social site account on both Friendster and Facebook. With these social sites, they can access on games such as Farmville, Fishville, Mafia Wars, Pet Society, Social City, Tiki Island, Hospital Mayhem and many others. If internet connection is not available, they will resort to playing Zuma, Bookworm, or Plant Versus Zombies. Sometimes, they will access Youtube and watch whatever videos they find interesting (they love to watch and giggle on Justin Bieber's videos which makes me wonder how come these girls grow so fast!?). As I observed these kids facing the screen most of the day almost everyday, with the tendency to forget to blink while their hands maneuver the mouse as if hypnotized, I then concluded that marijuana is so outdated because this thing, the cyberspace, is very addicting to today's generation.
With the advent of the digital/cyber era, the lifestyle of most people around the globe has also changed dramatically. Information can now be easily accessed with just a snap of the fingers and of course communication is way too easy even when people are thousand miles apart. Entertainment, whether wholesome or age restricted, is now enjoyed by many at anytime and anywhere. The world has become small and connected in every way. But children, young as they maybe, are also greatly affected with the modern technology we have now. Instead of reading books or researching in the library, they'll just open Wikipedia on the internet, copy and then paste, and presto! Assignments are finished in just a few ticks of the clock. Instead of playing cats and dogs in the open space, chasing one another until they run out of breath, now they would rather sit in the front of the monitor, munch some chips, and play Counterstrike. Instead of planting flowers, now they opted more on playing Farmville. Digital trees, flowers, and vegetables seem more convenient to them and more fun since they grow fast without cultivating and watering. No sweat at all.
But what really is my point here? My point is, kids addiction with cyber technology particularly the internet has turned today's generation into a lazy, addicted, brand new version of couch potatoes. Getting their daily dose of radiation, slowly destroying their eyes, developing carpal tunnel syndrome, and turning themselves into an addle-brained creatures.
The internet actually is not a bad thing. Just like money it is neutral and it can be used for good or for bad purposes. It can either enslave you or you could be the master of it. I myself is very thankful for the internet. It makes my life easy and comfortable. It connects me with important people and those close to my heart without boundaries. Yet I make sure that it doesn't control me like a puppet. I make sure that the world depicted in The Matrix trilogy will not come into reality (but if it will do happen, can I play Neo's part? lol!). Lately, my Aunt is regulating the use of internet in the house with the kids and I am happy that my cousins are now occupied with other worthwhile things such as taking voice and piano lessons, likewise a crash course in swimming. For me, these are the things that children should spent their time and energy during summer and not on feeding virtual pets and watering digital plants that doesn't really exist in reality. Parents I guess should be responsible with their children's use of the internet. They must see to it that what their kids are browsing on the net doesn't turn them into cyber zombies. Parental guidance is the key.
While the punk kids of the 80s are still so preoccupied with what is happening in the real world, focusing their concerns on issues such as the recession of global economy, climate crisis, political events, and how to survive this cruel planet, the kids of Silicon Valley on the other hand are too busy wandering in the virtual world --- harvesting computer generated strawberries, fighting virtual dragons and zombies, poking other people's profiles, and watching endless videos and listening to endless sounds that could satisfy the senses. Addiction to cyber technology by today's generation must be controlled or else this world will end up one day where the color and the scent of a rose is just programmed to our brain by a super megacomputer for us to "sense" it. A future possible world where illusion is confused with reality. Sounds impossible but is there anything not possible nowadays? Tsk tsk tsk... I'm so into The Matrix. Ha ha ha...
Man, I miss the 80s, the decade where kids' recreational activities were simply playing with their Barbie dolls or GI Joes or soar their kites while basking in the hot afternoon sun. Of course tumbang preso, piko, patentero, rubber bands, marbles, and spider fights were also "in" during those days. Games in the 80s were not just physical but at the same time a mixture of wit and strategy. But those were the days. Now, children are playing in a playground build in an intangible world called the cyberspace. A world so interactive yet so unreal. A world where all you have to do is sit all day, focus your eyes on the screen until they hurt, and click click click the mechanical thing they called mouse. A routine of point and click!
My three preschooler cousins, all of them girls, are so addicted with online games in the internet that everyday it's their only form of exercise, that is, if you can call it one. Each girl has her own email and her own social site account on both Friendster and Facebook. With these social sites, they can access on games such as Farmville, Fishville, Mafia Wars, Pet Society, Social City, Tiki Island, Hospital Mayhem and many others. If internet connection is not available, they will resort to playing Zuma, Bookworm, or Plant Versus Zombies. Sometimes, they will access Youtube and watch whatever videos they find interesting (they love to watch and giggle on Justin Bieber's videos which makes me wonder how come these girls grow so fast!?). As I observed these kids facing the screen most of the day almost everyday, with the tendency to forget to blink while their hands maneuver the mouse as if hypnotized, I then concluded that marijuana is so outdated because this thing, the cyberspace, is very addicting to today's generation.
With the advent of the digital/cyber era, the lifestyle of most people around the globe has also changed dramatically. Information can now be easily accessed with just a snap of the fingers and of course communication is way too easy even when people are thousand miles apart. Entertainment, whether wholesome or age restricted, is now enjoyed by many at anytime and anywhere. The world has become small and connected in every way. But children, young as they maybe, are also greatly affected with the modern technology we have now. Instead of reading books or researching in the library, they'll just open Wikipedia on the internet, copy and then paste, and presto! Assignments are finished in just a few ticks of the clock. Instead of playing cats and dogs in the open space, chasing one another until they run out of breath, now they would rather sit in the front of the monitor, munch some chips, and play Counterstrike. Instead of planting flowers, now they opted more on playing Farmville. Digital trees, flowers, and vegetables seem more convenient to them and more fun since they grow fast without cultivating and watering. No sweat at all.
But what really is my point here? My point is, kids addiction with cyber technology particularly the internet has turned today's generation into a lazy, addicted, brand new version of couch potatoes. Getting their daily dose of radiation, slowly destroying their eyes, developing carpal tunnel syndrome, and turning themselves into an addle-brained creatures.
The internet actually is not a bad thing. Just like money it is neutral and it can be used for good or for bad purposes. It can either enslave you or you could be the master of it. I myself is very thankful for the internet. It makes my life easy and comfortable. It connects me with important people and those close to my heart without boundaries. Yet I make sure that it doesn't control me like a puppet. I make sure that the world depicted in The Matrix trilogy will not come into reality (but if it will do happen, can I play Neo's part? lol!). Lately, my Aunt is regulating the use of internet in the house with the kids and I am happy that my cousins are now occupied with other worthwhile things such as taking voice and piano lessons, likewise a crash course in swimming. For me, these are the things that children should spent their time and energy during summer and not on feeding virtual pets and watering digital plants that doesn't really exist in reality. Parents I guess should be responsible with their children's use of the internet. They must see to it that what their kids are browsing on the net doesn't turn them into cyber zombies. Parental guidance is the key.
While the punk kids of the 80s are still so preoccupied with what is happening in the real world, focusing their concerns on issues such as the recession of global economy, climate crisis, political events, and how to survive this cruel planet, the kids of Silicon Valley on the other hand are too busy wandering in the virtual world --- harvesting computer generated strawberries, fighting virtual dragons and zombies, poking other people's profiles, and watching endless videos and listening to endless sounds that could satisfy the senses. Addiction to cyber technology by today's generation must be controlled or else this world will end up one day where the color and the scent of a rose is just programmed to our brain by a super megacomputer for us to "sense" it. A future possible world where illusion is confused with reality. Sounds impossible but is there anything not possible nowadays? Tsk tsk tsk... I'm so into The Matrix. Ha ha ha...
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