The Effect of Technology on Play!

This blog post will address three major points of how technology has affected play and leisure throughout different age groups from the era presentations, starting from 1940 to 2020. The evolution of technology changed how society participated in play and leisure. Different age groups transitioned from outdoor and social entertainment to indoor entertainment.

Children from 1940 to 1990 would be more interested in outdoor and social play. They would play games like hopscotch, double dutch, and tag. They would also play with toys that were social and imitated roles within the household. Girls may play house and boys would play with army toys and tools. As the use of technology increased in the 80s and 90s, children would enjoy playing Atari, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, and other games. They would spend more time enjoying indoor entertainment. The early 2000s introduced the smartphone. This opened the door for social media apps, which children enjoy. Children also enjoy innovative toys such as the fidget spinner, hoverboard, and Heely’s.

From 1940 to 1990, adults would enjoy participating in sports and dance halls. The most advanced leisure technology was the radio at that time. During these years, adults were more interested in participating in group sports and dance halls because the technology we enjoy today did not exist. When the personal computer became popular, this revolutionized how people access information. They no longer were required to read a book, they could access it from computers. As smartphones emerged, adults could access business and leisure from anywhere on their smartphones. As home entertainment systems become more popular, adults spend much time participating in indoor entertainment.

The evolution of technology revolutionized the way society viewed occupations. A student could transition from attending class daily with a pen and paper to completing online modules for an online program. Jobs that may have previously been available in factories may have been replaced by machines. This means a person may opt to become the technician of a machine than to become certified for a dying profession. The evolution of technology somewhat shifted society to indoor play and leisure. Although technology could be exciting, this has increased diseases like obesity and “Sitting” disease.

Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/07/how-polio-inspired-the-creation-of-candy-land/594424/