My eldest daughter was born at the end of 2000. She is certainly a child of the 21st Century. Technology to her is a common everyday affair. She has asked me the following questions: "When you were a little girl, what was your favorite website?" or "When you were a little girl, did you have a favorite computer game?"
I have to tell her that there were no things like websites and computer graphics in the 1970's when I was her age. Computers were used to perform detailed calculations. Any computer screens might be someone's old television with either white, green or amber type. She can not fathom such things.
She is also puzzled by black and white movies or tv programs. I have to explain that originally television was only in black and white. I tell her I remember that we had one black and white television when I was a kid. Also, that movies from the silent Charlie Chaplin films she's seen to Miracle on 34th Street were in black and white either because A) the technology did not exist for color films or B) color film in the 40's and 50's was so expensive that many movies were made in the cheaper black and white format.
Perhaps the drastic changes of music technology are not as foreign to her since she has seen our turnable and albums and 45's. We have an extensive collection of albums, cassettes and cd's, but have not jumped on the iPod or mp3 bandwagon.
She is growing up in a world where, because of technology, you don't have to really wait for anything. Instant gratification. Everything is so fast. I wish that as a parent I could teach her patience, but perhaps my slow dial-up modem is about the only way she can understand that things don't always move as quickly. While she waits for a computer game to load from "Club Penguin" she reads a book. ; )
I have to tell her that there were no things like websites and computer graphics in the 1970's when I was her age. Computers were used to perform detailed calculations. Any computer screens might be someone's old television with either white, green or amber type. She can not fathom such things.
She is also puzzled by black and white movies or tv programs. I have to explain that originally television was only in black and white. I tell her I remember that we had one black and white television when I was a kid. Also, that movies from the silent Charlie Chaplin films she's seen to Miracle on 34th Street were in black and white either because A) the technology did not exist for color films or B) color film in the 40's and 50's was so expensive that many movies were made in the cheaper black and white format.
Perhaps the drastic changes of music technology are not as foreign to her since she has seen our turnable and albums and 45's. We have an extensive collection of albums, cassettes and cd's, but have not jumped on the iPod or mp3 bandwagon.
She is growing up in a world where, because of technology, you don't have to really wait for anything. Instant gratification. Everything is so fast. I wish that as a parent I could teach her patience, but perhaps my slow dial-up modem is about the only way she can understand that things don't always move as quickly. While she waits for a computer game to load from "Club Penguin" she reads a book. ; )
No comments:
Post a Comment