Television & Technology

From an early age, my parents understood that the television was both a source of good and evil, though they never quite explained it that way. Technology has given us the ability as a society to communicate many different things quickly and efficiently. The internet, for example, holds billions of articles and academic journals, so much information that one person alone could not absorb it all. It is a key source of information and research, as well as a great way to communicate across long distances. Television has proved to be an effective way to relay information, but also to entertain. However, the overuse of technology can cause adverse effects as well.

When I was growing up, my parents never allowed my brother and I to watch television until our homework was finished. Many times, this meant missing our favorite television shows. She did not allow us to video tape them either. This was a way to stop any “addiction” we may have formed to a certain program, or maybe the television in general. All too often, children, and even adults, become consumed with starring at the TV, forgetting the world around them. They are absorbed in a false reality, neglecting their responsibilities and relationships. My parents helped us to understand in a subtle way that though the TV was an entertainment; it was not an addition to the family. The four of us needed to communicate and interact, not simply stare at a television screen.

Conversely, television can be a great way to have some family “downtime”. In the evenings, my family and I would watch a movie or a television show. Like in the picture above, we gathered together in one room and watched the same program or movie. However, this was after we had spent plenty of time discussing things about our day and what was going on in our lives. We did not let technology become more important than our family members. Our open line of communication is one of my favorite characteristics of my family.

Unfortunately, many families are losing this key ingredient. Many children spend more time on the internet, watching movies, or catching up on their program they missed to talk to their parents. This is, in my opinion, one reason children are having so many difficulties as they reach their teen years. They do not know how to talk to their parents. They have not established a relationship as a family and usually fall into temptations much easier. Technology is not the only problem, but when it consumes the life of a child, rather than the love from a parent, it definitely causes issues in the child’s life.

As technology advances and continues to take a higher position in the priorities of families as well as individuals, we will see our country reach a new low. Though technology can hold our hands and bring us into a new dawn of intelligence, that intelligence is powerless without the relationships and communication that’s essential to our existence. Restore the family, restore order. As long as technology, such as televisions, brings the family closer together, then it will find a place in my life.