Tremendas las afirmaciones de un artículo de Yahoo News (vía Smart Mobs, diamante en estado puro) en torno a cómo las familias actuales son multitarea y las tecnologías una peligrosa arma de doble filo. Había empezado a extractar algunos párrafos pero no tiene desperdicio. Ahí va enterito, con algunos subrayados de mi parte.
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Modern families worldwide are striving for equilibrium in lives overloaded with technology, according to a study released by Internet search titan Yahoo and OMD media firm.
Computing and communications devices had people cramming an average of 43 hours’ worth of activity into a typical 24-hour day by «multi-tasking,» the survey, released Tuesday, concluded.
«Everybody multi-tasks,» said Mike Hess of Omnicom Group’s OMD unit. «The theme we saw was that people were looking for balance. Not wanting to give up cable Internet while wanting the kids to get out more.»
«There was also a return to basic values such as having dinner together, playing Monopoly or cards and taking vacations where they could disconnect for a while.»
Mexico, India and China had the highest multi-tasking rates, respectively packing 46, 45 and 44 hours’ worth of tasks into standard days.
At the more relaxed end of the spectrum were France with 34 hours and with 33. The United States came it at the average.
Typical «Internet households» on the planet had nearly 11 electronic gadgets, Hess said.
The online survey was conducted during the summer and involved 4,783 respondents in 16 countries in Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas.
Responses painted a picture of modern families in which men do the cooking, women work and children are kings of home castles when it came to understanding technology, said Yahoo vice president Michele Madansky.
«Family 2.0 isn’t the Cleavers of the 1950s or the futuristic Jetsons,» Madansky said, mixing Internet jargon for the new-generation Web 2.0 Internet with references to classic television shows about small-town America and space-age family life.
«Father doesn’t always know best. He may not have a clue about what MP3 player is the best value, but daughter can be the expert because she spent time comparison shopping prices and features online.«
Division of expertise in houses has resulted in family decisions regarding purchases and other matters becoming more democratic, the survey indicated.
People credited e-mail, instant messaging and mobile devices with bringing family members closer, whether they be siblings living in different countries or parents of moody teen-agers.
«A lot of moms said they had surly teenagers who won’t talk to them in person,» Madansky said, «But over IM (instant messaging) they have much more dialogue than they ever would face-to-face.»
More than half of those surveyed said that without computer technology, they wouldn’t be able to stay in touch with friends or family.
Respondents credited the Internet with helping overcome shyness and being a homework aid for school children.
The survey also revealed that modern culture was veering from the tradition of «a family» consisting of a married heterosexual couple with children.
Findings indicated that only 33 percent of US online households were «married with children,» while the figures were 58 in China, 59 percent in India, and 57 percent in South Korea.
«Family 2.0 is two or more individuals that share connections of the heart, mind and spirit,» Madansky told AFP.
«It could be same-sex couples, a step family, couples getting together to have children and not getting married — there are a lot variations. It is happening more so in the Western countries.»
Technology is the backdrop to the «changing landscape» of modern families, Madansky said.
A challenge for marketers was to be pinpointing influential members of homes when it came to purchases and then get messages to them in ways that were welcomed, Hess said.
«Marketers need to enhance people’s lives instead of interrupting them in the midst of a busy day,» Madansky said. «And develop tools to make things easier in their lives.»
¿Qué os parece el panorama? Da que pensar… en múltiples direcciones.
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