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comment by insomniasexx
insomniasexx  ·  3832 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Have we stopped playing on the web? Or is it just me?

I don't know if I agree with this completely. I do think that children need to play and grow and learn but what I see in today's teenagers is the lack of desire to learn and be productive and work hard to see the results.

We're trying to hire someone at my company to help out and float around as needed. We need someone to format and make changes to powerpoints, to convert the videos or audio files to their correct formats. Bitch work. Busy Work. I started doing the exact same thing and slowly took on more and more responsibilities (and money).

Doing that type of work is part of the process. You work for someone else to fill your time as you learn and develop understanding about the company or goals. Part of the point of busywork is to show that you are dedicated and can accomplish tasks and take direction.

The fresh college graduates don't see the value of their reputation, showing up on time, and doing the work. They expect everything to be handed to them and to see instantaneous results. If they don't see the results they don't see the point. It is painfully obvious in the 20-30 interviews I've sat in on. They want to be lead designer or master of the content the day they start. They haven't had a job besides Starbucks and assume that their degree will skyrocket them to the top post.

I think it has to do with instant gratification that they get from the littlest accomplishments: here's a gold star for successfully harvesting your imaginary plants with the touch of a finger! It has generated a bunch of people who love to play but don't love to do.

I'm all for balancing work with play, but you have to be able to work first. The difference between what kids used to play at and what kids play at now is different. You pointed out:

    The boys played endlessly at tracking and hunting, and both boys and girls played at finding and digging up edible roots. They played at tree climbing, cooking, building huts, and building other artefacts crucial to their culture, such as dugout canoes.

These are all things that take time and energy in order to obtain the reward. From playing, kids learn that hard work, time and energy pay off. They are using their physical and mental abilities to accomplish said tasks; it is a challenge. Today, kids don't play like in the same way. They play on their new iPhones or online games. They enjoy memes and youtube videos to get laughs. If the video doesn't load in 3 seconds, most give up.

From the link:

    Forrester found that 40 percent of consumers will wait no more than three seconds for a web page to render before abandoning the site.

I think that kids need to play but they need to play differently. Youtube videos are not play. iPhone games are not play.





rboone  ·  3830 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I absolutely see your point, and the sense of entitlement you point out has, fairly or unfairly, been discussed at length, so I won't beat a dead horse. There's something to it (or we wouldn't be talking about it), but painting with such a broad brush based on personal experience is a dangerous logic game.

    Youtube videos are not play. iPhone games are not play.

I've battled with this with my own daughter. Of course, I make her put down the screen and go outside and play on occasion, but games and videos are play. Its just a different kind of play than we're used to. The phenomenon will probably hold true, too: kids play at what they're interested in, so those kids who play at games and videos are likely to incorporate that interest in their chosen career, to a certain extent. I'm certainly not saying it's good for them, or that they don't need to put the screens down (I'm a huge proponent of that), but I don't want to say that kids need to play differently because they're not playing the way I did or want them to.

ProtrudedDemand  ·  3832 days ago  ·  link  ·  

You sound like you might be a little bitter towards a new intern or something.

insomniasexx  ·  3831 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I wish we had an intern.

Cortez  ·  3831 days ago  ·  link  ·  

o_O