Screen Time and Family Time

Directed Freewrite Pg. 236

     The most significant nuclear family change that resulted after the introduction of Capitalism, was the availability of time that the family unit had to enjoy. The members of a family had time to socialize once they were no longer tied to “the household family based economy” on the farm (D’Emilio 228). Presently, computer technology has resulted in another social change for family life.

Computers are information machines. Computers are a means for individuals to accomplish an endless list of duties in our lives. It is entertaining, assisting in communication, informing, educating, and socializing. It can even babysit by doing any one from the aforementioned list. The computer and family life equation presents its negatives and positives.

     Computers have created a definite shift in our social lives as members of a family. As a college student, the majority of my education takes place on the screen. This “screen time” encompasses hours of my day. I am online daily: checking email, logging on to Blackboard, researching assignments in online databases, writing papers in Word, taking notes in class, etc. I also socialize on the internet. I keep in contact with friends near and far via Facebook and e-mail. My computer helps me plan my social calendar so I can spend with friends and family. I am also a divorced mother. I maximize my social contact with my children by using SKYPE, a telephone and video calling service on line, when they are with their dad. This visual type of on line contact is more personal for young kids, especially if you’ve tried to hold phone conversations with a 4 or 5 year old. I am “connected” through all aspects of my life.

     Regardless of all the ways “screen time” has enhanced my life, it can be a negative experience. The computer is another member of my family. Not in the sense it is coming to the next Connolly Family Reunion, but in the respect that it engages and interacts with my children and gives them information. “Screen time” is time based for my children in my household. There are rules to follow because of the social implications to a child. I have an internet filter that blocks certain website access. I also have a list of websites they can go to. Currently, they are not old enough to have email access or chat access. This type of socialization opens my household up to possible danger. These rules exist to protect my family from the negative social situations that can occur with computer access. All our screens are turned off for meal time. This helps us pay more attention to each other and have more face time and take advantage of all the free time that capitalism has lent to us.