Since Facebook Says You're in a Good Mood....

I was in a good mood this morning: in such a good mood, in fact, that I posted, "I feel like "liking" everything" as a status update to Facebook. (Okay, I admit. It's not the most inspired thing I've written. But when you're in a really good mood, you don't stop to play editor, now do you?)

I didn't think anything of my update once I posted it. I simply went on with my (deliciously awesome) day. But then I received a text message from one of my kids that started off like this:

"Since Facebook says you're in a good mood..."

You have to understand that this particular kid is our resident tech genius. Why wouldn't he rely on technology to read my mood (and then use that information to his advantage)? We used to try to read our parents' moods too, remember? (Imagine how amazing it would have been to have a tool to do the analyzing for us.)

It turns out that technology also provides our kids with valuable feedback about themselves. When I mentioned to my son that he was talking too quickly, he responded by citing his Starcraft actions-per-minute metre. (Apparently he plays the game as quickly as he talks.)

* * *

Back when I was a kid, articles about the future of computers emphasized practical functions: how the home computer of the future would take inventory of the contents of your refrigerator and freezer. The articles didn't talk about how computers would revolutionize the way we communicate with one another and think about ourselves. That's where the real revolution has occurred -- and it's mostly been for the better, I believe.

There are so many ways I can communicate with each of my kids that it's difficult for us to have a total communication breakdown, even on days when one or the other of us is feeling frustrated. A one-word text message or impromptu photo with a note in the subject line can help to resolve a parent-teen impasse. I am grateful to have these tools available to me today. How did previous generations of parents ever live without them?

Comments

[feefee]

Many parents of previous generations were workaholics, lots latch-key kids. My own parents dislike technology and only use it for basic functions like email or shopping, many other women in their 30's I know also don't like to be on the computer too much. I'm not sure why this is, but many girls just don't like it even today.

[Rebecca]

My name is Rebecca Becker and I am a graduate student in Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology. For my dissertation, I am conducting a study which examines the way in which technology influences how parents monitor their child's activities. The results of this study will illustrate how technology impacts parenting practices and the parent-child relationship. If you are the parent of an adolescent age 13-18, please click the link below to take my survey.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5G3793C

[Ann Douglas]

When you're ready to publish the results of your study, I hope you'll get back in touch, Rebecca. We'd love to hear about your findings. You can email me at annmdouglas@gmail.com whenever you're ready to spill the beans. :-)

Thanks for your comment, FeeFee. I think it depends on the woman. Most women I know love computers/technology, but there are some exceptions.

[Sophia, Turning Winds]

While technology has provided more advantages with regards to communication between us and our kids, sometimes we should be careful with the disadvantages that goes with it. Not all technological features does something good, like for example, the influences our kids could get from possible access to violent online games and pornography in the internet which may affect how our children will grow up in the future. Some kids are even into cyberbullying without the knowledge of their parents. Inspite of today's advanced internet capabilities, it's still best to educate our kids of their limits online and most of all, supervise them in their online activities.

[Long Island New York Insurance]

Who says technology is a bad thing? Too bad Facebook has minimum age requirements for posters. Not that kids can't get around that when parents aren't looking of course. :)

[Grace]

I'm just glad that my kids aren't old enough to have facebook accounts. They don't even use the computer!