We live in times of wondrous marvels of modern technology that are designed to simplify our lives so that we can pay attention to what really matters to us. It is amazing how rapidly phones, computers, GPS devices, and Internet gadgets have been upgraded, updated, and miniaturized to fit in our pockets and go anywhere with us. The gadgets and gizmos available today are truly amazing, but have they really simplified our lives or allowed us to pay more attention to anything that really matters to us, like our families for instance?

Are families closer today than they were in the past? Have inventions given families new opportunities for bonding moments and personal connections? How exactly has the modern world made our lives simpler, or allowed us to pay more attention to what is important?

Obsessions for the Latest and Greatest
A mad passion for technology has become a central motivation of modern society. We have become obsessed with having the latest devices and most current systems. We have reached a point where five-year-old technology is considered obsolete and due for replacement. How many people today still use the same mobile phones they were using five years ago? How many five-year-old computers are keeping up with the demands of today’s technology?

Time and Attention
There is nothing wrong with technology in itself, but rather, it is how we use it and how it affects our lives that determine whether it is beneficial or detrimental to our families. The problem lies in priorities, depending on where we place the majority of our time and attention. It is the use of our time that largely shapes the nature and quality of our relationships with our families, but our attention and time are being largely committed to devices rather than to our loved ones.

Research and Statistics
The following results of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project which was conducted between August 9, and September 13, 2010 indicate the percentages of American adults who own gadgets:

A variety of devices are available in households to distract and divert families from spending time together. This study does not, however, indicate the number of households in America that own televisions or the number of hours spent in watching television. According to eia.doe.gov, 98.9 percent of U.S. households own a color television set. The following statistics from a New York Times article reveal the number of hours Americans spend watching television daily:

The New York Times article also states that, “In the 2008-9 season, the average person spent a record four hours and 49 minutes watching TV each day.” If an average adult arrives home from work at 6 p.m. and goes to bed at 11 p.m., that leaves exactly eleven minutes after work to have dinner, play with other electronic devices, care for personal hygiene, and finally interact with family. How exactly has this use of technology simplified our lives or allowed us to pay attention to what really matters to us? If we are convinced that technology has accomplished this objective, we must also be convinced that technology is what is really important to us. If we weigh nearly five hours for the television against eleven minutes for family, it is difficult to conclude that we are making our families important to us.

Time Spent on Social Media
In addition to time spent watching television, a Nielsen study concluded in April 2010 that the average person in the United States spends 6 hours 35 minutes and 2 seconds engaged in social media of some kind monthly.

Balance and Priority
Gadgets, media, and technology are exciting and fascinating to use, but they have not simplified our lives…in fact, they have complicated them. There is nothing wrong with using these wonders of modern living in moderation and balance with other aspects of our lives, but when they consume a majority of our time and become our priorities, they detract from quality family interactions that should be important to us. It is possible to have the best of both worlds. We don’t have to discard gadgets altogether in order to make time for our families, but we must all take a look at how much time we are using them, and consider how to make our families more important than devices that we replace every few years.

As we accumulate more gadgets, and spend more time using them, it is important to consider our families also, and how much time we are spending with them. We can evaluate the use of our time, and establish appropriate limits to our use of technology. We can be more involved with one another as families, taking the time to strengthen our relationships and to have fun together. A stronger world begins with stronger families…families who make time for one another. It is not technology in itself that has deprived us of quality time with our families, but our own choices and behaviors. We can still use technology to simplify our lives and to pay attention to what is most important to us, but we must never forget that our families are far more important than modern technology.

Related Reading:

Family Challenges and Change: The world's most important changes are made in the home.

Learning Something New Every Day: Learning something daily that is beneficial to our lives is a possibility, but it is not guaranteed without a conscious effort on our part.

Controlling Thoughts: Mastering our Minds and Thoughts: We evaluate ourselves based on things we do, finding joy and regret in actions, while scarcely noticing that the driving force behind them is our thoughts.

References:

Media Use Statistics, Accessed November 17, 2010
http://www.frankwbaker.com/mediause.htm

The Effect of Income on Appliances in U.S. Households,
Accessed November 17, 2010
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/appliances/appliances.html

Popular Demand: Hours by the Tube, Accessed November 17, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/16/business/media/
16mostwanted_graphic.html?ref=media

Social Networks/Blogs Now Account for One in Every Four and a Half Minutes Online, Accessed November 17, 2010
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/social-media-accounts-for-22-
percent-of-time-online/