Wide Open

To dive into my topic, I first wanted to see what research has been done on the possible effects of new media and how it effects us socially. At first, I thought perhaps I wasn't searching the right terms or the terms I was using were too broad. I came across lots of information, just nothing concrete on the impact new media has had on socialization. So I turned to my favorite research tool, EBSCO. And it led me perhaps to a type of article I didn't want to find in this quest...

The article certainly was appropriately titled, The Wired Family: Living Digitally in the Postinformation Age. It grabbed my attention, a silent "Finally!" going through my head. I was at work though and since I should have been working, I put it in my EBSCO folder to read later. A few days after that, I was finally able to return to it and was excited to get some ideas for my blog post.

The opening story was a humorous Jetson like portrayal of a family living in the digital age. For me, it was like an ominous peek into the future, the very very near future. I couldn't help thinking that the story and characters could quite easily be a family of tomorrow waking up to a hot breakfast that had been programmed to cook the evening before. And I bet you'd really like a link to it right now, huh? Yep, I remembered now why it was Google Scholar where I hoped to find material - much easier to link to for everyone. Instead, only you, my fellow NDSU mates can peruse the little opener if you'd like. Simply click here and then log in to the NDSU library system.

Moving on from the cute story, I revisit how my happiness went to dismay. Why? Well, turns out the subject I decided upon and was excited to delve into is one that needs a lot of research. There is little to none on the effects of new media on our social being. However, there is a huge need for it. So I am trying to see this good in how this is an intriguing field to study.

Why do I feel so strongly about the need for research? In the article, Peggy Meszaros notes that children age 2-18 spend an average of 38 hours per week watching television, playing video games, surfing the Web, or using some other form of media (Meszaros 384). Now tell me this doesn't have some sort of impact on a child's social skill set!?! Good or bad!

Sadly, there was a call out for research on this even before the boom of the World Wide Web. In 1985 Rowan Wakefield forecasted the impact of computers on family life and the need for investigation:

"Continuing family and societal changes suggest an urgent need for much greater understanding of the impact of home computer use on families."

No one answered that call. I was only left to wonder why someone hasn't and what a huge field this is to research. While I may not have any case studies in the end, I look forward to pulling together the little research there is. Who knows, maybe grad school someday will get me a few case studies.

Reference:

Meszaros, P. (2004, December). The Wired Family: Living Digitally in the Postinformation Age. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(4), 377-390. Retrieved September 1, 2008, doi:10.1177/0002764204270276