Technology: the new iBinky

EllieheadshotVacant eyes, glazed over with the reflection of the dancing iPad screen, stare unblinking at the constant stream of stimuli presented on the handheld display. The kid is three years old, and knows very little of the world aside from the enthralling square of technology held in his small, screen-smudging fingers. His parents have placed it in front of his face to keep him from wreaking havoc, and, like magic, the kid has been pacified and reduced to a wide-eyed, unexpressive zombie. This thing, this universal, mind-numbing thing, has become the new binky.

Our generation and the toddlers being raised in said generation have established a newfound need for constant stimulation that is, quite frankly, making us antsy, dependent addicts. It’s commonplace now to dine at restaurants among countless little ones hypnotized by the glowing screen of an iPad, or teenagers mindlessly checking social media sites because the down time between ordering food and receiving food is simply not exciting enough.

One of the qualities that makes technology so addictive is the immediate gratification we reap. We grow accustomed to this tablet containing all the entertainment we could ask for and information that is accessible with the swipe of a finger. When the Wi-Fi is down, we panic because waiting an additional minute for something to load is excruciating. Parents nowadays have begun introducing this idea of immediate gratification to their kids right from the get-go, and in doing so, they teach their children to be impatient, antsy and greedy for constant stimulation.

The other day I went out to lunch with my cousins, both high school students and both fully capable of conversing as normal humans should. Yet as time lingered and our food failed to arrive, both boys took to their iPhones, instantly ensnared, instantly engaged in a world not so tangible, but inherently more gratifying than the one presented in reality. Each was involved in his own virtual discussion, amused by pictures, or games or Facebook. Suddenly, the lack of stimulation had become unbearable, and a hit of technology was necessary to ease away the discomfort. The conversation lacked what only an iPhone connected to all things at all times could implement: instant entertainment, instantly at your fingertips.

As for the toddlers being brought up into a world entirely composed of Snapchat and Disney shows on Netflix, parents need to remember how they grew up, back when playing outside was the favored afternoon pastime, or when sitting at a restaurant with a plastic binky to keep them occupied was good enough.