COMMENTARY
Many Thais are today so addicted to smartphones and tablets that they often let the devices take over what should be precious family time.
Some of you may disagree with me, but this is an issue we should take more seriously given its inevitable impact on our lives in the near future.
Today, there are a lot of TV commercials about the joys mobile technology can bring us. Many ads depict touching moments, some which make me cry, that show how strong human bonds can be retained even when people are living far away from each other.
For example, one ad shows 3G technology helping a father who went to work abroad keep in touch with his wife and daughter by calling them and seeing their faces while having a chat.
Then there are the grandparents who can see a real-time image of their grandson smiling at them via a mobile application. That's wonderful, isn't it?
But a recent visit to an old friend's place last month made me think twice about the use of telecom technology.
My friend Nuch has two teenage children, one son and one daughter. The son has an iPad and the daughter an iPhone. Nuch told me she has a house rule that family members have to sit down and have lunch together on weekends, so the parents can talk to the kids about their experiences at school.
During the weekend lunches, she said, her two kids just eat quietly and don't talk to her much. Both of them seem to be preoccupied with their smartphone and tablet, smiling and even laughing as they use their gadgets.
What they wanted was to finish eating as fast as they could so they could leave and continue playing with their toys.
As a mother, Nuch said her efforts to get close to her children and be part of their lives have failed completely. Her kids make little effort to communicate with their parents. Instead, their world is the one that exists in cyberspace.
Nuch told me that she has observed that Thai teenagers these days have poor face-to-face communication skills, while they are great in connecting and communicating online. She notices that her kids are no different from other teenagers whose parents complain about them saying they don't understand their kids' language and their worlds.
I guess Nuch's story is familiar for many Thai families. It's a wake-up call for me, as a mother, to think carefully about the use of telecom technology with my kid. I too have a young boy now who loves to play computer games.
I totally agree with Nuch that we have become overexposed to hi-tech gizmos in everyday life. So much so that we need to recognise when to stop.
We have created technology that makes our lives more comfortable and easier. But we have also let the technology have too much influence over us, to the point where we have let it control us.
We have to rethink the way we use modern communications technology, otherwise we will easily fall into a "technology trap" without knowing it.
In my opinion, we should pay attention to the kids first as they can easily get addicted to the magic of technology. For me, I will limit the time my son spends on the computer per day or per week, and regulate when he uses it. That means I must stay close to him to monitor him when he's surfing the web.
Nuch told me not to buy smartphones or tablets for my boy as he will no longer spend his time playing football on the playing fields or engaging in other outdoor activities. He'll opt to play a virtual football game instead.
To control myself as well, I will try to stay away from the computer when I'm home as I already sit in front of one for about six to eight hours a day in the office. That's more than enough.
I will get my life back from the grasp of modern communications technology. I don't want to be out-of-date when it comes to new technology. I just want to use it efficiently and won't allow it to control my life. I'm sure I'm not alone.
Krissana Parnsoonthorn is Deputy Business Editor, Bangkok Post.
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About the author
Writer: Krissana ParnsoonthornPosition: Reporter
Source: http://www.news.thethailandlinks.com/2012/09/20/escaping-the-tech-trap/
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