One problem the internet caused stated in the documentary is, it is very hard for parents and authorities to regulate what kids do on the computer. Since the internet is so easy to access via new technologies, authoritative figures just cannot be present with the kids all the time. Another issue the internet has caused reported by the documentary is by it being so addictive, it has taken time away from studying, school work and activities such as reading. This is a problem because education is almost a must in today’s society. However, the documentary fails to acknowledge how the internet has helped kids by providing ways to find answers and acquire research and knowledge.
Consuming Kids. After watching “Consuming Kids,” and hearing the various insights of many industry professionals, it is no doubt in my mind that mass media creates a social reality, and a backwards one. This commercialization of childhood is a lot more than selling just products and services, it’s a society issue which has direct impacts on human development and relationship. This commercialization of childhood involves marketers and advertisers doing everything they can to influence the 52 million kids under 12 that hold a buying power totaling $42 billion dollars a year. The mass media aims and is successful in getting a brand in front of a child’s face 24-7, whether it be through brand licensing, product placement, viral marketing internet, videogames or many other ways.
They have brought limitless amounts of information to our homes, jobs and telephones. As personal technology continues to become less expensive, it also becomes more powerful, advanced and user-friendly. This evolution of technology presents incredible new opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. iDevices such as Apple's iPad, iPad mini, iPhone and iPod touch are the hottest consumer technology products on the market today. While thousands of applications have been written for nearly every conceivable situation, persons with disabilities have fewer opportunities than most to enjoy the newest in iDevice computing (www.ablenetinc.com).
When Siri was revealed, many were stunned with its advance speech interpretation and recognition interface (S.I.R.I). The interaction between the user and their phone has reached a new stage of the human and technological “relationship.” The use of the iPhone, as well as Siri, has become incredibly involved in mostly everyone’s daily lives that it has become natural in a bizarre way. This smart phone has become important in facing different problems throughout the day that users have unknowingly become too reliant and attached to the go-to gadget. Such examples suggest that the incentive of AI research grew from a mere curiosity of science into a general purpose of taking advantage of technology. 2001, especially the character HAL 9000, motivates scientific inquiry by generating new ideas into motivating the AI research world.
He has a lot of help and many years to come up with this technology. Pushing his ideas to the extreme, he made employees work long hours and on a “need to know basis”. If Jobs never pushed though, the world could be a very different place than what it is now. Fred Vogelstein goes into how risky it was for Apple to “show off” the Iphone for the first time. “Not only was he introducing a new kind of phone-something Apple has never made before- he was doing so with a prototype that barely worked.” (2).
It seemed as if the only people who were able to keep up with the rapid change were the youth. With technological breakthroughs becoming more common by people who seemed to be younger and younger, the youth of today’s society thrive on the new products as if their lives depended on it. My little sister, for example, is nine years old and has mastered the task of working Apple’s new product, the “iPad”, while my grandfather who is 75 years old feels as if telemarketers are using computers to track when he is at home to call him. This supports my theory that other older generations are afraid of something they do not know or fully comprehend. I personally believe that since my generation is so well informed and well trained with digital technology, we should actually take the time to show the previous generations how certain things work, help them and do away with that primal fear that many of them have.
Advertising Toward Children How do we know what shoes we want to buy, or what brand of soft drink to choose? Advertising is how, and we may not know it, but we are around it every day. It is becoming a serious problem, however, because some of it is being aimed toward our children. It is unethical to advertise products toward children because they are more susceptible, and easier to persuade than adults. They also do not have the financial foundation to support their urge to spend money on the products advertised.
Children are finely attuned to each other’s acquisitions Xbox 360s, PlayStation 3, cell phones and iPods. Considering this amount of consumption, it becomes quite challenging to teach the difference between wants and needs; for some children there is literally nothing they need that they don’t already have. In addition, having too many options at their disposal makes it easy to switch interests and goals when the going
Entrepreneurs can now advertise to the whole world easier then ever before. However, the competition among companies to create a memorable, desirable advertisement is also negatively influencing our population’s youth. Because of the substantial increase of advertisements during recent years, children have become exposed to both the mature world and the consumer market at increasingly earlier, even infant ages. “The increase [in advertisements] comes from advertisers trying to out-yell each other”, says J. Walker Smith, president of the consulting firm Yankelovich. If a marketer feels drowned out, "They just turn up the volume."
Smart Phones, iPods, iPads, Tablets and many other forms of entertainments and life facilities equipments are from the fastest growing forms of technology addiction, especially among teenagers and children. Even though life can’t roll nowadays without such facilities, Smart technology has become a two edged weapon, people are becoming more preoccupied with this technology and unable to control its use, and are jeopardizing their family connections and relationships. The excessive use of smart technology is reforming our society, our relations and our existence. It is difficult to estimate how widespread the problem is, but according to the American Medical Association, up to 90% of American youngsters play video games and as many as 15% of them-more than 5 million children- may be addicted (Tanner 2007). In addition to the