New Technologies, New Questions

I was stopped dead in my tracks last week by an innocent question I posed to my daughter as we were driving to her dance team rehearsal. As soon as the words tumbled out of my mouth, I was struck dumb by how odd my request would have sounded a generation ago. Back then my query would have been met with a puzzled, "Are you nuts?" expression. But now such a question is commonplace, passing the lips of millions of parents, millions of times a day.

"Do you have your phone with you?"

Twenty-five years ago such a question would have involved carrying a "mobile" phone the size of a shoebox, the kind that a moviegoer sees a soldier in a war film using to call in an airstrike. Now phones are the size of a deck of cards and can do so much more than send and receive calls. The present truly is more incredible than we ever dreamed the future would be.

The commonplace question I asked my daughter got me thinking about other watershed moments in recent history. Each new technological triumph our society has widely enjoyed has also introduced new, previously unheard of questions and requests passing between parents and children. And as routine as such questions seem now, they must have sounded bizarre - at least for a while - to everyone asking them. For example:

1.     1915 - “Hey Dad, I don’t have any homework; can I borrow the car?” Twenty earlier, that question would have involved a four-legged animal, a wagon and some hay. 

2.     1950 - “Mom, our homework is done; can we watch TV?” Before televisions were widely purchased, electronic home entertainment was only audible, via the radio. Back then people had to use their . . . umm . . . their . . . oh yeah . . . imaginations.

3.     1981 - “Mom, Dad, I’ve got homework to do; can I go on the computer?” Prior to the introduction of the affordable PC, computers had names like “UNIVAC” and were the size of a city bus. Their function usually involved moon landings and atom splitting.

Today, however, questions and requests concerning technology are usually asked by parents, not children. Nonetheless, speaking them would have been gibberish as recently as the early 1990’s. Such as:

4.     Since 1998 - “Why don’t you just Google it?” Parents don’t have all the answers to homework questions, but Google does. Our secret is safe.

5.     Since 2000 - “Please text me when you get there, okay?” In our never-ending quest to make sure our kids are safe, cell phone texting has upped the ante even higher. The damage to the English language, however, has been irreparable.  Then again, numerous variations of the smiley face are enjoying a prolonged renaissance so I guess it’s a wash :)

6.     Since 2004 - “Do you know everyone on your Friends list?” Once upon a long time ago, friends were friends, not “friends”. Parents would be wise to occasionally review their teenage children’s Facebook friends, photos posted and comments made. Facebook is fast-approaching 900 million active users. It’s safe to assume that a few of them might be creeps, so “better safe than sorry” when it comes to our kids.

None of these six questions were imaginable 150 years ago, so it goes without saying that the future will be filled with equally-improbable utterances. Some may even sound like this:

7.     2040 - “Dad, can I use the jet pack tonight?” This request will be closely followed by an emergency room visit.

8.     2070 - “Son, make sure you charge your cell phone implant before bedtime.” With any luck, phone service providers will have finally agreed on a universal charger by then. I'm hoping for a USB port behind my ear.

9.     2100 - “Mom, Dad – do we have to go to the moon again for vacation!” This means that Tang and freeze-dried food will be making a comeback. Hey, you never know . . .

Have you said or heard something recently that made you shake your head in amazement at the world we live in?