http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/view
What impact did the film have on you?
Alana had a strongly personal reaction...
After watching the documentary called “Digital Nation”, I was very overwhelmed with the different things that I was hearing. One of the things that really triggered a response for me was when they said that there were people and children dying from their addiction to computers. Being adopted from South Korea this was a very surprising thing to hear. It is very sad that there are children and people so addicted to a game that they don’t want to walk away from the computer to get food or water to keep themselves healthy. The parents in S. Korea were also clearly very disturbed and there were organizations started for kids, taking their electronics away from them for two weeks however, many children that went to the organization were not very affected. The addiction to the computers has started at a young age in South Korea, teachers are teaching young children around the age of 6 about the basics of the computer. I think that this is a factor to children becoming addicted to the computer and different games etc. However, not all children that went to the camp were very affected. Some children said that they didn’t think that anything was going to change when they got home. Clearly, this is a recurring issue that will continue until there is something more drastic done.
Brianna's reaction is based on her future plans...
Over the years, technology has surged. Millions of people rely on technology to get through their everyday lives. Some people use their iPhones, some people use a computer. However, there becomes a point where it can become a serious addiction. For people who have a hard time being social and going out in public to actually make friends, video games are an easy way for them to talk and interact with other people. People with social anxiety often find comfort in hiding behind a computer screen because they do not have to worry about interacting with others face to face. Despite all of the good that technology has given us, I believe that it is still extremely important to have live face to face interactions with others. For example, I will be attending XXXXXX College in the spring to study psychology and become a child psychologist. Therapy sessions would not work with the use of using virtual worlds because the therapist needs to observe the physical and mental behaviors of the client. In a 3D setting, there would be no visible emotions and the client could not be helped. Too many video games are not good because they take away from social skills, especially in young children.
