Plugged In

Controversy
While the use of digital articulation in education is flourishing, advocating for advancements in Digital Media education, many educators and psychologists argue that parents need to ensure that their teenagers break free of compulsive engagement with screens and spend time in the physical company of human beings.

Positive side
Studies show that young people live media-saturated lives, spending an average of nearly 6 1/2 hours a day with media. Those with more access to media spend more time using it. On the positive side, parents always know where their children are, children develop their intellectual abilities because every additional experience is intelligence, children stay in touch with their friends and listen to the music, even while overloaded with work or ill and unable to leave their houses. This new ‘Multitasking Generation’ tends to be extraordinarily good in finding and manipulating information.

Negative side
On the negative side, an overuse of new technologies takes children and adults away from the other activities such as sports, family life, and reading books. Students at Duke report that they don't read whole book anymore. The multitasking starts in the very morning when children brush their teeth and decide what to wear. The IM is being sent with the question and while still waiting for an answer, the question is being sent as a text message, as well. The conversation continues as: "Oh my gosh, I would have to wear the same shoes again". Notebooks or cell phones often communicate insignificant messages as " suuuuup" (What's up"). Parents are concerned that their kids' compulsive screen time is affecting their school work and the family life. Everyone in the family has his own world, family dinners are rare, and they don't have time for a social life. Some universities encourage students to find quiet spots on campus to just think with cell phone off and laptops zipped up in their cases.

Multitasking
Researchers already have some strong opinions on multitasking. The mind habit of dividing one's attention into many small slices has significant implications for the way young people learn, reason, socialize, do creative work, and understand the world. Research and common sense point out that depth of thought deteriorates as one attends more tasks. Media multitasking, according to many, has squeezed out the significance of facial expression and body language replacing it with quick e-messages. In the end, fast pace and constant multitasking may condition a person’s brain to an overexcited state, making it difficult to focus even when we want to.

Conclusion
It seems that the emphasis on hard work is part of the American culture and multitasking is simply a consequence of this attitude or way of life. When we are busy, we naturally choose easy and quick ways to communicate thoughts, to search data, and to simply stay in touch with people we care about. The life pace seems to be too much faster than before and to drive to meet someone and walk with them in order to have long, although pleasant conversations, seems as an impossible task. Even vacations are too much shorter in comparison with, for example, vacations in European countries. One or two weeks signalize that there we have no much time to "waste" and that we need to go back to the work routine.

In this warp speed era of Web-enabled computers, when it has become a practice to conduct several IM conversations, watch "The Office", google, and text at the same time, the important task for parents is to control the amount of time their kids are plugged- in and the quality of plugged- in time. If the "suuuuup" chat is too long, that is an overuse. If it cannot be controlled, then it's an addiction.

Realizations:
1. The multitasking kids may be better prepared for today's frantic workplace.
2. I don't feel disconnected although plugged in.
3. We are fortunate to have the option to be connected.
4. Unplugged, unTwittered, and unFacebooked life is still worth living