It’s not uncommon to find a lot of parents who think their kids do not need to use computers and can ‘learn those skills later’. What computer skills and internet represent to kids is likely to be substantially limited to these adults as playing violent video games and anti-social activity. Truth is, however, that the kids today grow in an environment where internet is a communications tool and facilitates many activities that take place in ‘meatspace’.

Back in the days before we had mobile phones or the internet the kids used to take up the only existing remote communications medium available at homes – the phone. Today that demanding need to be in contact with peers has been replaced by a far superior medium that scales in unimaginable ways – more simultaneous interaction between more people at greater distances. The options for human interaction is also more varied by subjects of a discussion as more niche interests become widely documented.

Compare that to the days when the parents were young. Limitations for interaction were limited in many ways to what was available at your location. Choices for hobbies were few if any and you got to play with the neighbor’s kids regardless how poorly your interests mixed. Even on television the lack of unfulfilled communication needs manifested themselves when Al Bundy cracks a sarcastic comment at Kelly about the time she spends on the phone.

Luddite parents? Tough.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 29th, 2007 at 8:31 and is filed under Uncategorized. . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.