I know that young people are often disparaged because of their over-reliance on digital media, but I think my generation probably has a bigger problem. I heard a news story this week about the negative impact absorbed by young children who grow up in families where parents are consumed with their electronic devices. Imagine a family actually gathering for a meal (which probably doesn't happen all that often anyway) and imagine the children being ignored by their parents who are obsessively anchored to their machines. That scene is not all that hard to imagine - and it was the precise situation described in the news story. The children in the story would resort to bad behavior simply to get the attention of their parents!
As I've written here several times, I came late to the digital party. But now that I'm here, I love what my devices can do. I remember last fall when I finally gave up what the people at Verizon called my "dinosaur phone," and purchased a phone that was described as "smart." Just in case you're wondering, my phone is indeed smart - often quite a bit smarter than I am.
Even more, I love what it can do. Some days my phone feels like a bionic extension of my hand. And when it's not in my hand, I feel that I've lost a part of myself.
As smart as my phone is, however, it doesn't have a lot of international capability . . . which means that I'm about to enter the season of my disconnect.