I recently got to spend some real quality "alone time" with my 19 year old daughter, thawing out in Florida. Unfortunately these trips are rare occurrences and are always a special treat for me. Ya see, my daughter's a super driven NYU sophomore trying to decode the media and entertainment business in hopes of one day being able to fill the diversified shoes of Tina Fey. Like Tina, she's pretty, funny and a brilliant writer. In fact, her writing has earned her several awards and scholarships (thank you lord) and a slot as a contributing writer for The Washington Square News. She's a social media hound, has a great eye for design, and has even helped NYU reinvent its website and promote critical student initiatives via the Internet and social media promoted live events that she helped produce. She's a Facebook guru, an Instagram junkie and can Tweet, Tumble and Pin with the best of them. So, given this background you could understand how shocked I was to hear her say" I was born in the wrong generation, I wish I was born before the Internet when we were not so connected." After getting off the floor from the shock of that comment, I regained my composure and probed a bit more. I was curious, how can "Little Miss Connected" want to live in a more "disconnected" era? What was she thinking and why was she thinking it? The biggest question I had was - "Is she alone in her thoughts or do her peers share her secret disdain for our Internet-based connectivity?" What I went on to find out was fascinating.
It turns out that many teenagers in my daughter's generation, can actually still remember a time when they were less connected. A time when the telephone was more important than the smartphone. When the conversation was still more predominant than the text. A time when there was no Facebook to tell you that your old friend from high school (who you haven't seen since graduation and you don't particularly miss either) was making brownies and watching Suite Life reruns to pass time one rainy afternoon. The issue is, that despite the collective reluctance, social media is tremendously efficient in reaching people with words, sounds and images. Its benefits are measurable and its effectiveness undeniable. Social media has changed the world and even toppled dictatorships. However, its pitfalls are equally palpable as we have seen teenagers taunted (literally to death) by public humiliation fueled by social media and decades old marriages end as old romances become rekindled (often temporarily) via the Internet.
The question becomes, how do we as a species handle this tool that we have invented? Do we allow it to control us, or do we control it? I'm sure when automobiles began hitting the streets in the late 1800's, some people panicked, even if they loved the idea of getting from point "A'" to point "B"' in half the time they were accustomed to. However, they could not ignore the potential dangers. Today, cars have the ability to drive at hundreds of miles/hour and although the risks are still there, we have added safety features and have all become better drivers (well most of us anyway). The fact is, we've adapted and while "safety"is still a consideration in our minds, it is no longer a major impediment to the consumer acceptance of cars as a whole. In fact, today, few people can live without taking advantage of the benefits of this technology. Fortunately, just because we have cars, doesn't mean we have to stop using our bicycles, roller skates or even our feet to get around, does it?
I often tell my kids, my motto has always been "everything in moderation." Yet, my daughter pointed out to me that I too have fallen pray to being "over connected" and stated that she feels that I am too accessible to my clients (and I tend to be). However, I am working hard to find the balance and reclaim my quality time with my family. It's not easy, but as my daughter and I were climbing a tree the other day in Florida, I realized that this was a recreational activity that a father and daughter could have enjoyed together even 200 years ago, and there was something amazingly cool and "connected" about that. So, if you're feeling too "wired," all you need to do is find a "cool tree," unplug, kick back and recharge your emotional batteries. You can post a picture of yourself "unplugging" later or never for that matter. Don't take this the wrong way, but no one really cares.
FYI, While Facebook has its downfalls, this is one of the best uses of social media I have ever witnessed personally or professionally. Check it out, when you get down from that tree of course. http://www.ted.com/talks/israel_and_iran_a_love_story.html
It turns out that many teenagers in my daughter's generation, can actually still remember a time when they were less connected. A time when the telephone was more important than the smartphone. When the conversation was still more predominant than the text. A time when there was no Facebook to tell you that your old friend from high school (who you haven't seen since graduation and you don't particularly miss either) was making brownies and watching Suite Life reruns to pass time one rainy afternoon. The issue is, that despite the collective reluctance, social media is tremendously efficient in reaching people with words, sounds and images. Its benefits are measurable and its effectiveness undeniable. Social media has changed the world and even toppled dictatorships. However, its pitfalls are equally palpable as we have seen teenagers taunted (literally to death) by public humiliation fueled by social media and decades old marriages end as old romances become rekindled (often temporarily) via the Internet.
The question becomes, how do we as a species handle this tool that we have invented? Do we allow it to control us, or do we control it? I'm sure when automobiles began hitting the streets in the late 1800's, some people panicked, even if they loved the idea of getting from point "A'" to point "B"' in half the time they were accustomed to. However, they could not ignore the potential dangers. Today, cars have the ability to drive at hundreds of miles/hour and although the risks are still there, we have added safety features and have all become better drivers (well most of us anyway). The fact is, we've adapted and while "safety"is still a consideration in our minds, it is no longer a major impediment to the consumer acceptance of cars as a whole. In fact, today, few people can live without taking advantage of the benefits of this technology. Fortunately, just because we have cars, doesn't mean we have to stop using our bicycles, roller skates or even our feet to get around, does it?
I often tell my kids, my motto has always been "everything in moderation." Yet, my daughter pointed out to me that I too have fallen pray to being "over connected" and stated that she feels that I am too accessible to my clients (and I tend to be). However, I am working hard to find the balance and reclaim my quality time with my family. It's not easy, but as my daughter and I were climbing a tree the other day in Florida, I realized that this was a recreational activity that a father and daughter could have enjoyed together even 200 years ago, and there was something amazingly cool and "connected" about that. So, if you're feeling too "wired," all you need to do is find a "cool tree," unplug, kick back and recharge your emotional batteries. You can post a picture of yourself "unplugging" later or never for that matter. Don't take this the wrong way, but no one really cares.
FYI, While Facebook has its downfalls, this is one of the best uses of social media I have ever witnessed personally or professionally. Check it out, when you get down from that tree of course. http://www.ted.com/talks/israel_and_iran_a_love_story.html
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