Once upon a time, books were the sole source of knowledge and information. If you wanted to know something, you went to a library. Then came the age of the miracle known as Television. It turned people's heads from printed paper to brightly lit screens, complete with pictures and sounds. The TV gave masses access to virtually the entire world right from their living room. In the beginning it was a luxury. As technology progressed even further, they became cheaper to manufacture. Pretty soon every household had at least one. With the introduction of Cable TV, they turned into a staple source of information and entertainment. There were channels dedicated to news, movies, music, art and culture, science, and even food! The essence of books was beginning to wane. The majority of children preferred watching TV than to take up a book. Parents complained about this viral phenomenon, but in vain.
Then came the era of computers. With their commercialisation, computers took the world by storm. Like the TV in its early days, computers used to be bulky and expensive. With time, they became smaller and cheaper. Eventually, they became so small that we began calling them notebooks and could carry them around in our backpacks. It did not stop there. As time progressed, they shrank further; so much so that they were the size of our mobile phones. Our phones became smartphones: miniature computers that we carry around in our pockets. This put the TV in the background.
With the dawn of the Internet, the TV has been forced nearly to the brink of being obsolete, or at least redundant. Play video games, watch TV, listen to music, buy products, look for a job, make money, perform a surgery - the things you can do with a computer hooked to the Internet are virtually infinite. With so many varieties and such a flexible price range, computers are convenient. A common complaint of parents is that their children remain glued to their desktops, notebooks or smartphones throughout most of the day, and that they have no regard for either the TV or books. Parents as usual are worried.
The complaint of today's parents and the complaint of their parents are synonymous. This seems like a misunderstanding between parents and their children, owing to the generational gap.
Technological progress is not something bad or something one should be afraid of. Because of advancements in technology, mankind is today able to do the things it was not able to do half a century ago. It is how we make use of a new technology that decides whether it is a bane or boon. If children spend an obscene amount of time on social media websites or form an addiction to playing video games, technology is seen as a bane. If children maintain communication with their friends and family with the help of the Internet or watch educational videos, it is viewed as a boon. In fact, if one is not familiar with contemporary technologies, s/he may lag behind in both day-to-day and professional life.
The writer studies Economics at the
University of Dhaka.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
