Is Technology Too Intrusive in Our Lives?

Concern is now being expressed about the negative impact technology has had on the family unit. Forest Insurance recently put out a Youtube video on just how much technology has encroached on family togetherness.

“Foresters purpose is to champion family well-being and we do that through quality life insurance, unique member benefits and inspiring community activities,” says George Mohacsi, President and CEO, Foresters. “We are always looking for innovative ways to help families spend time together and challenging them to ‘disconnect to reconnect’ is a simple way to turn our purpose into action.”

According to the Center for Digital Future, in 2008, 28 percent of people said that being wired has resulted in the spending less time with family members. This is a significant increase from the 11 percent just two years before. According to a recent study, the average home in the US has 24 different media communication devices, from televisions, computers, smartphones, etc., and this makes for social isolation, even when in the same room. Forester, an international insurances provider, has launched the Tech TimeoutTM challenge, a North American initiative that encourages families to take a daily scheduled break from technology in order to reconnect with real live people.

Do you think technology is too intrusive in our lives and it is a good idea to “disconnect to reconnect” on a daily basis in order to maintain real personal relationships?