I was in a Fast Food restaurant a few days ago... after finishing my meal, I went to throw out the condiments into the garbage, and I noticed that by the trash can, there was one of those mechanical 'toy' dispensers. Basically, it is meant for little kids to put their change in, and out would pop a trinket for them to play with for a few days until they get bored with it.
Of course, when I was a kid, I had collected quite a few of these trinkets. The toys only cost $0.25, and I would end up with a toy car, maybe a candy, or my favorite, a small rubber bouncy ball (yes, I am a simple creature). So you can imagine my surprise when I noticed that the cost had gone up to $2.00, and even more interestingly, you don't get toys out of these machines anymore... for $2.00 kids can now buy earphones for their Ipods... 'Ibuds'!
Now I understand that times are changing, and kids are definitely more tech savvy than when I was a kid, and I was probably more tech saavy as a kid than my parents, and so on and so forth. But seriously? I sometimes wonder if kids even know what it is like to a 'non-virtual' toy, or actually go outside and play 'non-electronic' games. I have noticed that even my students have stopped using paper and pencil... most of them take their notes on a laptop, and 'jot' down information quickly into their cell phones. Perhaps I am getting old and cranky, but for some reason, this kind of worries me...
Keep your Ibuds kids... I prefer my rubber bouncy ball.
I prefer rubber bouncy balls too :(
ReplyDelete..am afraid that kids in the next 20 years will no more ask their parents to read/tell bed-time stories, or fight for silly things in the playground.. they'll only have internet friends and will only be able to play in the virtual world with artificially simulated sound, visuals, smell, taste and feelings :(
I think, this is a classic case of generation gap my friend. :)
ReplyDeleteTechnology cannot be blamed for children being inactive or not social. It is just the way we communicate and interact with the world has changed, these changes are as natural as any other change in the society. You are using this blog to express yourself in a way nobody in our parent's generation could have imagined when they were at our age. We are still real people behind these screens(until the day robots take over even our thoughts :) ). In my opinion, it is just a cultural shift.
@ Bluebottle: Ya I know... the world has changed so much in the 27 years I have been alive... wonder what it will be like 27 years from now.
ReplyDelete@ Ankur: Touche... good point about me using a blog to communicate. Definately, I agree that change is natural, and my generation is more tech saavy than my parents. I am just beginning to understand though, why my parents were getting so freaked out when DVD players came out, and the VCRS they had come to know and love went out of fashion...
My Moleskin is my best friend. Although, that being said, Akbar the iPhone also has a special place in my heart...
ReplyDeleteBut 2 bucks?!?! That's insane!
You mean you are not using the UTSAV agenda Nabz?
ReplyDeleteYa, I know... as a kid, I was happy when I had a dime...