The telecommunication equipment, through which the information is transmitted, has been evolving and becoming an important part of our daily lives, we went from the telegraph to WhatsApp and the black and white television, which deserved its own space, to cell phones or High resolution tablets that can be taken to the bathroom.
But technological devices not only provide practical value, but aesthetic and symbolic that lead us to choose between endless options: not only the most efficient, but the most beautiful, the best design or the one that gives me greater status.
It is worth it then to start reflecting on technology in our daily lives by questioning not only the way I use it, but also why and for what.
We Mexicans spend more than eight hours a day interacting with a technological device connected to the Internet, be it the cell phone, the computer or the tablet. It is impossible to think that something in which we have already spent most of our time cannot have an impact (both positive and negative) on our mind, it does, and technology has marked not only a new way of relating to others, but also with ourselves.
Well-applied technology helps us, for example: to organize ourselves better, to learn new things, to keep track of our goals and personal advances or to shorten distances with friends or family. However, the other side of the coin is that, by not being aware, we can get bombarded with harmful, stressful information or look for situations in which we are exposed or at risk. Universities are increasingly recording cases of depression and anxiety that are directly linked to the use of social networks. According to the Mexican Internet Association, 82% of users connected to the Internet are active in some social network, this being the main activity on the Internet over mailing and information search.
According to Forbes magazine, 33% of Internet users who are active in social networks are of working age, with Facebook (95%), YouTube (60%) and Twitter (56%) being the most common. There are many advantages of the use of technology and the use of social networks within the workplace: first, technology has made jobs more flexible and that home office or remote office are possible, to avoid stressors such as traffic or "go to warm the chair", and thus optimize the time of employees, removing barriers of schedules, distances and contributing to form a feeling of productivity and assertiveness in the management of schedules.
On the other hand, coexistence in social networks, while increasing the risk of mobbing (workplace harassment), also promotes the interaction of employees, the strengthening of business identity, as well as the relationship of the company with customers. Studies have shown that 75% of people are inclined to consume a product that follows those who do not online.
Undoubtedly, technology has presented new challenges for today's families, especially in terms of communication, but it also offers new ways of living together. First, we must focus on the fact that technologies are tools that offer us alternatives, so we must use them in our favor and understand the role they have in the life of our loved ones. As parents, it is important to understand that children are not “born with the integrated chip”, knowing how to operate and manipulate a gadget (which, it is worth noting, is designed to operate intuitively) does not mean that they know how to use it responsibly and ethically.
As parents, we must offer a guide for our children and understand the networks that are available to them. We can also understand certain phenomena and explain them to our children, for example, UNICEF points out that by interacting on the Internet the limits that exist in the physical world are not so clear, so we tend to generalize or exaggerate the links; We must clarify that not everyone we have on social networks is a friend or is trusted. Teenagers are a particularly vulnerable population, as they tend to seek intense ties in which idealization predominates. From an early age, we must teach them to use security filters, not to share personal data and to strengthen their self-esteem through quality coexistence with them.