Is the Internet cutting into family time?
By Amy Farnsworth | 06.16.09
Mom, dad, it may be time to shut down that computer and gather ’round the dinner table. The Associated Press reports that increased Internet usage along with the proliferation of social-networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace may be a reason why families are spending less time together.
A survey conducted last year by the Annenberg Center for Digital Future at the University of Southern California reports that 28 percent of Americans said they were spending less time with household family members. In 2006, that number was 11 percent.
The center, which has been conducting surveys on Americans and the Internet since 2000, found that 44 percent of Americans said they were sometimes or often ignored by family members who spent too much time using the Internet, while 48 percent said they were ignored by family members who spent too much time watching TV.
While the Center does not blame the Internet or other forms of technology for causing families to spend less time together, researchers note that the rise in technology and the popularity of social networking are potential factors.
In the AP story, Matthew Gilbert, a senior fellow at the center, says, “Most people think of the Internet and [our] digital future as boundless and I do, too.” However, he adds, “it can’t be a good thing that families are spending less face-to-face time together. Ultimately it leads to less cohesive and less communicative families.”
Though watching television as a family can be a bonding activity, Mr. Gilbert notes that the Internet is mainly “one-on-one” activity, and an activity that is consuming an average 17 hours per week among Internet surfers.
Recently, Oprah Winfrey has been showcasing the “What Can You Live Without?” challenge on her daytime talk show to see if families can live without computers, cell phones, television, iPods, or video games for a week. To help bring families together and encourage communication, Ms. Winfrey lays down some rules. Among some of them: The families are instructed to cook all their meals at home, spend no more than $125 on groceries, and to plan an inexpensive family outing. The goal of the challenge is to try and help families lessen their reliance on technology. By omitting technology, Winfrey hopes families will “find out what each other’s real interests are, what everybody’s been thinking, what everybody’s been feeling.”
Nationwide, communities are taking a vacation from technology, or unplugging from their Blackberries and televisions every week in an effort to spend time with their families. Last year, The Boston Globe reported locally on this trend. In the story, reporter Keith O’Brien cites a report by the Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society, which says individuals who didn’t use the Internet during a six-hour period on any given day, were more likely to spend time with family members rather than using that time to surf the Internet.
Maybe it’s time to start “friending” people in person?
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2. Tim | 06.17.09
An idea to put a dent in several world problem’s without spending a dime.We all pick one weekend each month and stay at or near home.Don’t drive your car on that weekend.Do thing’s around the house,clean the garage/closet’s,donate usable good’s.Read a book.Spend time with kid’s.Walk/ride a bike to nearby store/park’s.Some of the money saved from the gas you don’t use can be donated to a charity/shelter etc.People will get more exercise,there will be less air pollution from less car’s being driven=cleaner air.Gas price’s will come down due to cut back from everyone.OK everyone…ready…stop your engine’s!See you at the park!
3. SusanWilliams | 06.27.09
I’m definitely in opposition of the influence that the telecommunication world has integrated itself into the computer, phone and TV. The social implications that are to come are already damaging my relationship with my son (or should I say environment of disrespect, unrealistic priorities, and lack of motivation to physically participate in everyday life and develop a sense of pride and ownership). My son has chosen to make his computer contacts his family, defying all parental authority, yet demanding parental support without cooperation. I know this sounds like a spoiled kid that needs discipline, but have you ever tried to discipline someone that knows their rights and knows that a parent with my personality traits and weaknesses will not cut him off or send him away because I know the emotional harm that can cause a fragile psyche who has found comfort in their new conflict-free ecosystem.
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1. Andrew W. Bilinski | 06.16.09
Ha ha. Your suggestion to use another form of technological interface at the conclusion of an article cautioning us about the overuse of technological interface is ironically funny. Ahem. You did mean for it to be funny didn’t you? On a less humorous note, yes, I could not agree more. The MMOLRPG games and chat-rooms are addictive to all ages and are certainly competing very well for family face time. It has become a very sore point in our home between my wife and I and our 14 year old son. My best wishes to Oprah’s efforts, whether she is being genuine or just trying to stay timely with her market it is still a valid topic for discussion. Even electronically, as this comment illustrates. On a counterpoint, check out MS’s “One vs One Hundred”. We were visiting a neighbors home and got pulled into serving as a think tank to advise the player how to answer “trivia” ype questions. It was interesting and seemed to combine both “worlds” in a positive way.