Not too long ago, when families, friends or even co-workers gathered around a table, conversation dominated everyone’s attention. Today, as an independent observer, you would see that has changed – cell phones, not conversation, now has everyone’s attention.
And it’s doesn’t have to be a table. It could be a bar, coffee house, a stadium, theatre, park, a gym, the local diner, etc.
It also doesn’t have to be a cell phone. Since the 1950’s, watching TV became a daily habit for millions, replacing conversation and reading.
In the 1980’s, video games have slowly dragged kids in from libraries and ball fields, enslaving them to a video screen.
So too has computers and their latest apps. People now spend hours surfing Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, news feeds and other sites, in lieu of interacting with others, face to face.
New technology has a way of changing behavior. Whatever you were doing before the new technology, ends; replaced by the latest technology.
The change is subtle at first. But after enough time, that change in behavior grows, eventually becoming a habit.
There are many ways to thwart the technology habit:
- Cell Phone Baskets – This is where the cell phones go every night, while the family is having dinner, sharing information about their day.
- Media Fasting – Isolating two or three nights a week where everyone in the family disconnects from video screens, allowing the family to spend quality and quantity time with each another.
- Weekend Hikes – Weekend days spent hiking with the family, distracted only by nature and each other.
- Library Excursions – Taking the kids to the library once a week, re-installs the reading habit.
Awareness of how new technology alters your daily behavior is the key to preventing that technology from consuming your life, disconnecting you from those you love and becoming a time-wasting Poor Habit.
About Thomas C. Corley
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