Managing The New Technology

New technology, the internet and cell phones in particular, has dumped a whole world of opportunity and challenge into our laps. The opportunities are incredible and unlimited, but so are the accompanying challenges. And whether we like it or not, whether we acknowledge it or not, the challenges demand that we respond.

Cell phones and text messaging allow children to quickly and easily communicate, forcing parents to scramble to become familiar with technology that their children have mastered. In this new era, those who are supposed to be in charge are too frequently at the mercy of those they are supposed to be supervising. Photos taken with cell phones at home or at school can be emailed to friends or uploaded to the internet without parents even knowing they exist. Most sales packages offer free long distance and unlimited messaging, and parents seldom review their 13-page cellular bill to see who their kids are talking to.

The internet offers similar communication possibilities, but a greater potential for harm exists in its easy access to pornography. I was slapped in the face by this reality several years ago when a co-worker showed me the online gateways he had seen at a seminar that illustrated how children could easily access this information. I was surprised, not only by the content, but by my own reaction to it. I’ve discussed my experience with other men and I am convinced that the studies that say that pornography is an evil that will trap any man who plays around with it is absolutely on target. In the past we have avoided addressing issues with sexual connotations. While I prefer living in that safe zone, I fear what will happen to a generation of young men who are forced to deal with this issue alone because we are too embarrassed or too concerned about what others will think or say about us if we dare broach the subject. For the sake of an innocent generation, we must have the courage to face these new challenges.

Here is what I recommend to those I try to help.
1. Realize you are vulnerable, because whether you realize it or not, you are.
2. Use an online internet filter. A good one will keep out most questionable material.
3. Use your computer where someone can see over your shoulder.
4. Give someone else unlimited access to your computer. If you are married, your wife is the logical one. At work, a supervisor or coworker might fit the bill.
5. Let your children know that their computer activity will be monitored. Set the browser history to record at least 10 days of history, and make sure that you are the only one who can delete it.

These are just a few suggestions to get you thinking. If someone is intent upon viewing pornography these guidelines will not stop him, but they will build a wall to protect those who are aware of the danger of getting sucked into that smutty swamp.

New technology is a wonderful thing, but we cannot manage it using our old concepts. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s the cold hard facts.

©2006 Doug Ellingsworth