I saw this post (thanks @mombrain.therapist) about various things we do as adults that we may not realize we are modeling and passing on to children. Not surprisingly, relationships with technology is first on the list, and how we deal with frustration is second!
This made me think about how we use technology in schools and at home, and how pervasive it is in our lives these days. When I was teaching an information systems class at a local university, one of my assignments for students was to go without technology for 24 hours and log their experiences. Most of the common and expected results were about things like not being able to watch Netflix or get on the internet. One of the more impactful experiences for students had to do with realizing that with no cash and no technology, they found out that they can’t get dinner at the local fast food place. To put it lightly, they struggled, and many of them became frustrated with all of the things they realized they couldn’t do without tech.
As someone who is a leader in the technology space, it goes against job security to say that I personally believe we should have a lot less tech ingrained in our daily lives. Or, at least we should try to limit our time with tech and make sure we have reflected on our priorities.
Why? Because we’ve lost the art of communicating with other humans face-to-face, because we are so tied to our phones that we walk into poles or closed doors, and because, sometimes, it’s simply better for everyone in society if we keep our thoughts off of social media, especially when we’re posting them in anger immediately after a fight or a political debate.
Looking at this graphic, I see twelve things that, in relation to technology alone, we likely model for others whether or not we realize it. For example, has anyone ever been in a chat with the nice folks at Amazon and responded with frustration because they wouldn’t immediately solve your problem with the treadmill you want to return because it was just too much work to get on the thing every day, only to find yourself in a conflict with said Amazon rep because they can’t accept a return for the treadmill due to new environmental policies that don’t allow large item return-shipping and then you get so furious that you cuss out the rep and then feel bad about it and have to find a way to apologize – all while your kid or spouse is watching? That was a super long fancily compiled sentence, but, after looking at the graphic do you see what I’m getting at?
I challenge each of you reading this to re-evaluate how you model behaviors for others, whether it’s at home, at work, at the gym – wherever. Reflect on what you can change or how you might approach a situation better the next time. Consider others.
You are a role model and a teacher for someone, whether you realize it or not. Someone is always watching you (and if you think you’re all alone in your room, that’s between you and God).
Let’s get out there and work to be model citizens. Keep technology a part of your life, not the driving factor that you can’t live without.
It's Technically Possible 