Reconnecting Families Through Technology

In class, Dr. Susan Walker asked “What might these functional aspect of technology mean for families?”. My mind went blank. I never really thought about the “functions” of technology since it has been a part of life from elementary school until now. Then a couple of my classmates mentioned that they felt restrained and the need to answer their phone due to work, family and connections. That when it clicked. My phone is a life saver! That helps me complete my daily tasks for school and home.

In my family, I am the second oldest daughter of six and the middle child. There are a couple of rules that I have to carry out at home and during school. First things first, I always have to answer my phone or call back even if its an unknown number. A couple reasons for this being is because my siblings almost never answers their phone, therefore my mom and almost everyone calls me. I am also a Personal Care Assistant for my grandpa and his social worker usually calls to schedule an appointment for a yearly checkup.

Rule number two, I have to take care of my baby sister that is in second grade. That means I have to get her ready for school in the morning and pick her up at the bus stop since my parents start work early. My little sister also leans on me for homework help and is at a curious stage of asking tons of questions that Google could possibly help me explain better. For example, she wanted to know the difference between cucumbers and zucchini. I tried my best explaining what it is and then I googled a picture of it for her to have a better visual of the words cucumber and zucchini. That being said, the functions on my phone are my new best friend that I don’t think I could ever go out without it. Which also reminds me of a short film called A Day Without Technology. As ridiculous as it sounds, I am afraid that I would be completely lost without my phone’s help such as navigating my way home or being able to text a friend that I am at a nearby coffee shop.

There was an interesting article from the New York Times call Stop Googling. Lets Talk. Now it may sound like a simple task to disconnect but as I mentioned earlier about the functions of technology as a Hmong American women my phone plays an important part of my life. However it did make me stop to think about putting my phone away during meal time and to actually empathize with my sisters. I knew it was time to change my behavior of constantly having my phone with me during unnecessary times when I noticed my baby sister eating less of her meals while using the iPad. After witnessing that, I sat down with her and threw the ipad onto the living room sofa. I told her she could use the iPad after she’s done eating. She was angry, but she still sat with me. I decided to break the shell by asking her about school and she had tons of stories to tell me about her friends that were being mean to another friend and how much she wanted to be a teacher just like her homeroom teacher. This was the first time in a while that I saw her finish eating all of her food. To an extent the functions of technologies can help us when it is beneficial, such as my alarm clock that helps me stay on track and not a youtube video that distracts me from being empathetic.

 

References

Reediculous482. “A Day without Technology.” Youtube, Youtube, 11 Dec. 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_d6kyHquOk&feature=youtu.be.

Turkle. S. (2015). Stop Googling. Lets Talk. The New York Times. 1-7.

Walker, S. (2018). Wk1_Thinking Critically About Technology fall 2018a [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from University of Minnesota Twin Cities Technology in Parenting and Family Relationships Canvas: https://canvas.umn.edu/courses/42721