source: kottke.org

I love when I hear things such as “no one ever talks to each other anymore because of this technology” and then I see a graphic of people reading the newspaper from the 1950s (see picture). Chances are they were not interacting either.

Are people really that different then they were 50 years ago? For instance, was television an interactive device? The radio? The telephone? I know that when I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s I had to be QUIET while my family watched TV. I couldn’t interrupt my mom when she was on the phone, and well I couldn’t pick the radio station in the car (and if a good song was on, I needed to be quiet).

So nowadays we put a guilt trip on each other because everyone is on their devices. I find that interesting because I can always stop what I am doing to attend to my children. I can press pause on the DVR even on a live sports event to change the laundry (I will be honest, I don’t want to but I can). My children actually show me their learning through their X-Box and the Ipad.

I’m not sure what the difference is between the “old” and the “new”??? Do you?