Generation Touchscreen
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Once dubbed "Generation Z" or "digital natives," the new hipper term for those under the age of 15 is "Generation I." Analysts at Gartner have predicted that over 50% of the computers purchased for this age group will have touchscreens by 2015. That means the idea of typing on a keyboard will be gone.
Gone will be bedtime stories from a book chosen off a bookshelf or even drawing on paper with crayons. Board games and shuffling a deck of cards - will this generation even learn to do this? Tangible objects with a feeling of permanence will be replaced by an application on a computer.
The computer that used to be a tool, a means to an end, is now everything. It is 160,000 applications with more added daily. It replaces books, TV's, DVD players, coloring books, a canvas, a globe, and so much more. Also predicted is that over half of U.S. schools will specify touch and/or pen input within the next 5 year - and this seems to be accurate prediction.
As we adjust to smaller and smaller hand-held devices, smaller keyboards and keys, and now touchscreens - the logical next step will be voice activation.
3 comments:
This is sad. It is completely diminishing anything that involves personal communication because technology is now so efficient. This is not to say that advances in technology aren't great, but I am the type of guy that calls a person back when I get a text from them and I have noticed that many of my friends have troubles carrying on conversations face to face and this is just feeding that problem.
Things have definitely changed since I was a kid. I never thought I would own a computer-like phone such as the Iphone. When I look to the future, I imagine our phones and TVs to be like the 3D hallographic images that we saw during the presidential election.
I have to agree with Tyler that this is sad. Although I do use my itouch to settle my little ones down at the grocery store, at church, or while we are out to eat, it doesn't take the place of sitting down and spending time with your kids. Sitting and playing a game of Hungry Hungry Hippo or Candyland isn't about the game, it's about spending time together. Reading books to your children helps them foster their desire to read and learn. I love my itouch, but I can't see myself trying to read a bedtime story to my kids with it.
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