As someone who has just deleted another of her social media platforms, I feel conflicted about technology. Especially after this course. I understand how it could be beneficial to use it when you might be in a long distance from family or significant other. But on the other hand, I view it as distracting and pointless. I understand that there are a number of different forms of technology that are very useful in being productive, but there is also the side of technology that seems like a waste of time. In the article “Creating the Future We Want: A Framework for Integrating Family and Consumer Sciences Research, Practice, and Policy on Technology Use”, for example, they say that “A wide range of factors such as cost and availability affect individual use and selection of technologies.” Which means that as long as you can afford it and have the time, you could fall into the category of wasted time using technology, in my opinion. On the other hand, the article “Declining Majority of Online Adults say the Internet Has Been Good for Society” says that “A survey of U.S. adults conducted in January 2018 finds continuing evidence of this trend, with the vast majority of internet users (88%) saying the internet has, on balance, been a mostly good thing for them personally.” Which I can understand for things that you could look up on the internet, it’s limitless. The internet does hold a lot of knowledge, but I feel like the key words in that statement from the article is “on balance”. Either someone is lying or people view social media as productive. Maybe they have a different meaning when they say that “mostly a good thing for them personally”? Again, I can see how technology, minus the social media, can be beneficial when used correctly and I hope to continue to be productive with it.

References:

-http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/04/30/declining-majority-of-online-adults-say-the-internet-has-been-good-for-society/

-Walker, S.K. A Framework for Integrating Family and Consumer Sciences Research, Practice, and Policy on Technology Use. (2016).

With technology continuing to take off at a quick pace, there are some people or whole families that could be left behind, and might not even know it. Imagine if a person didn’t speak English, or if a person had disability? As a family professional, I feel like the best way to advocate for them is to be there for them. In the article, “The Digital Divide Among Low-Income Homebound Older Adults: Internet Use Patterns, eHealth Literacy, and Attitudes Toward Computer/Internet Use” they talk about how low-income individuals are also falling behind in the race with technology. They say in the article that “previous studies found that older adults who did not use the Internet or email tended to be older and of racial/ethnic minority status and had less education, worse physical and functional health, fewer social and financial resources, and greater loneliness/percieved social isolation.” I feel like this happens when there are a lack of resources or lack of advertisement for the resources. Technology is also very be helpful with a person with disabilities, like I previously said. In the article “Family Caregivers and Consumer Health Information Technology” they explain that “Emerging evidence suggest that telemedicine offers the potential to improve communication between health care providers and in-home family caregivers, such as in hospice care.” It is important for individuals to have access to the help they need, even with technology. It would be hard for an individual, with one of the previous situations, to try and play catch up on their own. To be there for them, whether that be sitting down with them to figure out an application, or to translate something online, essentially being able to take the time and show them how to navigate technology so eventually they will potentially be able to do it on their own. That would be a great start.

Because technology is here to stay and continuing to grow, we ask the question, how do employees keep up? Organizations, schools, social services, any field you can think of, is probably using technology in some shape or form. In the article “Communication Technology Integration into Social Work Practices” they say that in “Social work services include much wider range of digital and electronic options. These options allow social workers to engage clients through email exchange and text messages using their smart phones or through video teleconferencing…” Since this is the case, who is responsible of making sure employees stay up to date with technology? This is how I see it, when you apply to a job, you get a job title based on the skills you currently have. An individual goes to school, becomes educated, and gains experiences to put on their resume when applying to jobs. When an employer hires an individual, it is typically primarily based off what is on their resume. When you start the job, you have things that you have to get done and whatnot. Which is part of an individual’s job. If employers want to use more advanced technology and programs, it is up to the employer to make sure that employees are properly trained so they can continue to get the work done. It is honestly in the employers best interest to give the training. Let’s say that an employer upgrades their technology or program they were using and decides not to give training to their employees. “Here’s the new program/technology we are going to start using, you have 6 months to figure it out, good luck!” Sounds a bit ridiculous right? In the previous article, they also stated that “Poor implementation and lack of training of technological tools has also been cited as an explanation for social worker’s resistance to technology.” We also have to take into consideration that everyone is different and might not be able to understand something without some guidance.

When it comes to bonding time between parent and child, video games are high on the list of things to do together. Parents might be concerned about too much screen time and violence being exposed to their children when it comes to that activity. In the article “ Getting a High-Speed Family Connection: Associations Between Family Media Use and Family Connection” they say that “Although parents and adolescents may not share the same social perception of what they are playing or viewing on television, the act of engaging in media together may increase connection, especially if family members are in agreement regarding the activity (e.g., they all enjoy the program they are watching together).” This helps explain why a lot of parents decide to play video games, because it is something they could enjoy with their child. In another article, “How Family Members Stay in Touch: A Quantitative Investigation of Core Family Networks”, they explain that “no previous research that we are aware of has examined how the wide range of new technologies (cellular telephones and e-mail) fit into the myriad ways families can maintain their core ties; that is, how families use the media multiplexity and under what structural conditions these choices are made.” So, while it is understandable that parents are concerned, they are only concerned because everybody is telling them they should be. Even though there is no research indicating proof of the negative affect that video games have on children. However, seeing that parents have this concern, these are some things that I would recommend for them: pick a day out of the week, maybe two days out of the week to decide on when you and your child will play video games. Decide on how long you think is reasonable to play. Let’s say you decide an hour, and on those days where it’s just the two of you playing for that hour, after that hour, that’s it. No more screen time that day. Then you can decide on another day where your child can play video games by themselves. That way, your child will only play 4 hours of video gaming through the week, or however many hours you want them to play. If you are concerned about the violence on the game, don’t buy them the game. Plain and simple. There are plenty of games out there that are not violent at all and are made just for kids. As a parent, you have to make the decision if you want your child to be exposed to violent games or not.

 

Reference:

https://canvas.umn.edu/courses/77092/files/2852811/download?wrap=1

https://canvas.umn.edu/courses/77092/files/2852750/download?wrap=1

Based on the Youtube video that Tommy was in, he seemed to have an authoritative parenting style. From the video, he seemed to have high expectations for his child, but supported and gave the resources that they needed. This post that his daughter did will most likely be a source of tension for a decent amount of portion in their lives. In the “Parenting in the Age of Digital Technology” article is states that “Parents do not report having many family conflicts or concerns about their children’s media use.” It goes on to say how 78% of parents don’t agree with that statement. I’m sure that Tommy is one of those parents. In the Youtube video, Tommy tells us how this is not the first time his daughter has done something like this. In the “Parents, Teens and Digital Monitoring” article they say that “Moreover, digital technology has become so central to teens’ lives that a significant share of parents now employ a new tool to enforce family rules: ‘digitally grounding’ misbehaving kids. Some 65% of parents have taken their teen’s cellphone or internet privileges away as a punishment.” This is understandable, considering how back when I was growing up, my parents would take away our gaming system if we would behave poorly, which was something that we were into.

I can see where Tommy is coming from, when he posts this video. I don’t agree with him posting it, but maybe he felt like he needed to clear up what his daughter’s post was saying. Like he needed to justify why he was giving her chores to whoever has seen that post. If that was the case, I believe that he was wrong to post it. Another reason I would think he was wrong, is if he was trying to publically embarrass his daughter. Reasons why he could be in the right, is if he was trying to find parents who are going through the same thing. Personally, if I was in the situation, I wouldn’t have posted anything. I feel like when it comes to family conflicts, you should never turn to social media to vent. It never really gets anything done and might even bring a negative light to your family because they all have that comment section where people love to put their input. Tommy could have done all the things he said he was going to do in the video, but without posting the video.

 

The video: https://youtu.be/kl1ujzRidmU

References:

https://canvas.umn.edu/courses/77092/files/2852801/download?wrap=1

https://canvas.umn.edu/courses/77092/files/2852802/download?wrap=1