As technology continues to advance, upcoming generations are developing new expectations for their mobile media experience. From Netflix to Nintendo, companies are beginning to tailor their products and services to keep up with this demand.
Digital video recorders, more commonly known as DVRs, allow users to record shows to view later. In 2013, this is the expectation. Kids are becoming impatient with live TV as they lack the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
“Kids today don’t know a world where they had to wait for a program,” Tara Sorensen, vice president of children's series development for Amazon Studios, told The New York Times.
The idea of “TV my way” is the next step for the technology-driven generation. In response, Netflix developed a “Just for Kids” section geared for children 12 and younger.
The idea of Netflix and other outlets that let kids skip past commercials has become so ingrained in our culture, we have to wonder what may come of watching TV with that added anticipation, let alone the laborious process of reading through an entire book to come to a conclusion.
A Common Sense Media study found that “72 percent of children age 8 and under have used a mobile device for some type of media activity such as playing games, watching videos, or using apps, up from 38 percent in 2011.”
Kids of the ‘90s generation once ruled the digital world but are quickly getting left behind in the dust of modern media. The Gameboy, one of the first handheld gaming devices, is now a has-been compared to the Nintendo 3DS, which is equipped with a camera and the ability to browse the Internet.
Companies like Samsung and Leapster have created tablets specifically designed for kids, developing a whole market of games that often teach math, reading or writing skills. But because of this, kids would rather pick up a stylus than a pencil when it comes to practice.
Smartphones have also become more child-friendly, as the digital market is swamped with apps geared toward entertaining tiny toddler fingers. Classics such as "Angry Birds" and "Cut the Rope" have provided countless hours of amusement for kids of all ages.
However, has this once leisurely trend become a crutch for personal independence?
“Maybe Angry Birds is like potato chips: fun to eat occasionally, but not a lot or often or as breakfast. And definitely not in bed,” wrote Dr. Claire McCarthy, a pediatrician.
While the lure of evolving technology seems promising, this may be hurting future generations. Kids are most creative in their elementary age, however being consumed by surrounding media seems to be stifling this freedom.
Lately, kids, including college kids, seem to be calling the shots in the world of technology. This digital generation is due for a lesson is originality and personal imagination, not prompted by animations on a screen.
Reach the columnist at rsmouse@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @beccasmouse
