Why Parents Shouldn't Text

            I conducted my interviews with my mother, father, and aunt. They all had very similar answers, due to the fact they all grew up in the same time and all dislike technology for the same reason, detachment. Please, do not judge my family based on their answers, they like to think they are funny.

            First, I talked to my dad. He is in his late 50s, and has never liked technology. He said growing up the only technology he used was his calculator, which "sometimes wasn’t needed because he can do math faster than it can." He purchased his first cell phone after he graduated college, but according to him it would be quicker running to the person’s house to have a conversation than try to set the monstrous thing up. He is making some technological advances, though. After having the same phone for 6 years, he just got his first iPhone. He has no idea how to use it, but he has come a long way.

            My mom had the most humorous interview. She is the kind that will break anything she touches. Computers will literally shut down when she walks by them. When I asked her about her opinion on modern technology she said she stays as far away from it as possible, and the only thing she will even try is text messaging, even though she still messes up the lingo. She says she doesn't doubt that her conversations could be on the "why parent's should't text" websites. She is kind of right, she still thinks “LOL” means lots of love.

            My aunt was the most positive out of everyone. She loves modern technology because she can look up the University of Texas sports scores very quickly. She gets updates after every game. She also loves how it opens up the lines of communication between people who live far from each other.

            The only common thing I saw between all of them was that there was such little technology when they were growing up. They all went to medical school, and they said that tests and labs took forever compared to today. Modern medical students are apparently “spoiled” with their modern technology. I can see where they are coming from because they had much more patience when there was slower technology. All of them also said kids use too much technology, and it takes away from family time. According to The Soc Journal, "Each generation for millennia has felt the effects of a different form of technology. 

Technology has become so essential to our society that there have been studies conducted on the effects it has on socialization and interaction between individuals" . These interviews were very interesting because sometimes I forget that modern technology wasn’t always around. When they were having advances, it seemed like the next great thing, when now, they really are obsolete advances. I do feel blessed to have grown up around so many technological advances. 

"Business, Technology, and a Life Without." The Socjournal. Socjournal, 10 Nov. 2011. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. <http://www.sociology.org/lead/business-technology-and-a-life-without>.

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