Digital Nation

Has technology built a divide around the dinner table? In this day in age, it’s not often that families sit down and have a wholesome meal together. If so the television or cellphone accompanies them to the dinner table, restricting communication amongst themselves. This brings the question of whether or not technology has divided the family and limited their interactions. Working parents often check emails on their phone or laptop to stay on top of their job, while children use the internet to complete homework. The idea of being at “home” has changed. Families can be physically home, but mentally each member lives in their own world. Technology just isn't good for getting work done, but for entertainment as well. Video games and social networks keep children and teenagers busy, while television and media keeps adults entertained. The lack of communication that goes on in the household can be dangerous. Parents aren’t connected with their children, and often don’t have a strong relationship with them. This causes a lot of problems with children because either they are not receiving enough attention or they are not getting enough attention. It’s safe to say that technology is the center of our lives, we rely on it heavily.

The film Digital Nation talks about the different down falls that came and comes with technology and its enhancements. This one particular topic that I find very interesting and important, family interaction. The film interviewed two different families, one from America and the other from Asia. Both mothers of the family describe similar problems they were having that stemmed from technology. Their families were distant from each other, all doing their own thing on their own piece o technology. This was most evident at the dinner table, they witnessed their families in the same room physically but not mentally. They watched how they were on what they were doing with their technology and how glued they seemed to be. The American mom wished that her family would spend some time away from their devices, while the Asian mom felt as though technology was a disease or a sickness. 

I noticed the patterns of what these concerned moms described in my own household. My mother is a manager of two different departments of a hospital. She’s always busy with answering calls, checking emails, and responding to concerns  awhile she's home. You would think she had a 24 hour job. Even though my mother is a busy woman, she manages to maintain a strong relationship me. When she available she likes to hangout with me, however I like having my cell phone with me 24/7. When I receive notifications, it’s like I have an automatic reaction to check my phone. My mother doesn't like when I do this during the moments we share together because she feels as though it takes away from our time. When I reflect on our moments together and I began to go off into my own world with my phone I miss out on them. 

One day when I was over my friend’s house for the first time, everyone in the household was called to dinner. I assumed everyone would grab their plate and go back into their separate rooms, but they didn’t. The family of five sat down together in the dining room, where there was a lovely table setting that complemented the walls and furniture. I also noticed there were no televisions in the room, the only piece of technology in the room were lights, an analog clock, and a metronome sitting on top of the piano. I felt like I was in an old television show. Each member of the family got to talk about their day and if anything interesting happened to the today. The conversation went on non-stop for two hours. It was nice to be apart of the moment for awhile. I could be the connection and the love around the table. In my household it’s only my mother and I, however I do experience moments like this one when we go over my grandparents house.

It’s very rare to come across families like the one my friend has. Technology has replaced living in the present moment by allowing different ways to escape. I feel as though it created a strong divide in families because a lot of things aren’t communicated within each other. This can be very dangerous depending on how much exposure you're giving the internet of your life. When I create a family of my own, I install in them the importance of eating dinner together and staying connected.