Leaving Technology at Home

Posted: 27th November 2011 by Yorkshire Girl in Up on The Soap Box
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It was listening to this weekend’s podcast that got me thinking about technology.. Well not really technology as a whole but the commercial I saw a few weeks ago that has been on my mind ever since.

I saw Disney’s latest advert that is starting to appear at the beginning of their new releases – You may have seen it, and if you haven’t then be sure to look out for it- it’s the one that says you are now able to buy their movies in a set that includes DVD, Blu Ray and a Digital copy.

Now I may be sounding like an old woman, and after turning 30 I am certainly starting to feel like one, but does anyone else think there is something wrong with suggesting that children watch digital movies at the park and beach like it shows in that commercial?

I love all things Disney, I even used to work for them but it was even more disappointing that the advert was one of theirs –  What happened to taking a picnic to the park and building sandcastles on the beach? What happened to playing outside? – Even driving has been effected.. One of my fondest memories is going on long car journeys playing I-spy with my family while eating soggy homemade sandwiches. This is what childhood is all about. Because of these memories I get excited every time I go to a beach and immediately want to go paddling in the sea, get an ice cream and play in the sand.. Does this mean in 20 years this generation won’t have those memories?

There is truth in the fact that toddlers would rather play with the box than what is in the box. When I was young I biked to my friends house to see if they were at home and then we would go out to play, climb trees and use our imaginations. Sadly now children Skype their friends to see if they are home and then play video games together online.

If my future children would rather play videogames than play hide and seek I think I will have failed as a parent! God bless my childhood and God help the childhoods of the future!!

  1. Brian says:

    Very well put, Y-Girl. The damage that video overload and digital over-stimulation does on so many levels is horrible – says the guy who’s helping to run this digital blogsite about video stuff. Dammit, clearly I’m a lost cause. 😉

    All is not lost, though. Last night I saw an advertisement for the Dodge Journey SUV that talked about all the non-Internet-y things you could get out and do with it. “Think of it as a search engine for the World Wide World,” it said. Maybe there’s hope for the world yet…