Introduction
Imagine that you are at work, typing up a really important document for an upcoming bid. You spend hours in front of the computer, doing research, formatting your work, finding the right words to write. After days of non-stop working, you finally complete your bid documents, and they are ready for approval. The first thing that you do is log on to Facebook and find out what everyone is up to, since you disabled notifications while you were busy. When you get home, you turn the television on and load your favorite PC game. “I deserve this time for myself,” you say out loud. Is this something that you would consider “leisure time”?
Leisure time in the past
The definition of the term “leisure” is different for everyone. Some might say that it is a time where no work has to be done, or it is a time where they can relax and do any task that they find enjoyable (National Institute of Health). Over the years, “leisure” has come to mean very different things. Although, now it is considered a leisure activity to sit at your desk for hours on end, watching videos on YouTube or updating your Tumblr, leisure is actually close to physical activity than something connected with the internet.
Has new technology really killed the leisure time of our youth? When you look at it from a realists’ perspective, you could say that, yes it has. Instead of going out playing with your friends, more and more children are seen to sit at home, glued to their computer screens. New video games are being released faster than ever. The times have definitely changed, and the term leisure is becoming a subjective thing (Eklund and Jonsson). Although, leisure is used to describe a time where you do something enjoyable, it should also allow you to stretch your legs and do something physical. Studies show that leisure time spent on physical activities can actually increase your life expectancy (National Institute of Health). The new definition of leisure is very different from before. Is it true that leisure now is not spent “productively”?
If you compare time that people spent doing activities they would consider leisure in the past, to the activities now, of course there is a change. However, does the term “leisure” necessarily have to change along with the times?
Leisure in the past would mean going out with friends, joining a book club or getting involved with a group who share the same interests. Now, with the ability to connect and communicate with other people seamlessly through the internet, there is no need to meet up and engage in certain activities. Leisure time is becoming more individualized.
The “working” habit
Studies show that younger people are showing characteristics that are considered “the working habit”. Instead of going out and finding time to relax, the younger people in the workforce will choose to stay at home and watch television or hop online. There is a startling increase in the amount of time people spend in front of the internet. In the early 2000s, studies suggest that for every hour you spend in front of the computer, you should take a ten minute break. How many people are taking this break from the computer?
Younger generations now choose to stay in front of the computer during their “leisure” times (Eklund and Jonsson). Instead of actually using their breaks to get some sunshine, walk around or have real social interaction, people would rather stay in front of their computer screens. It’s not that people don’t have time to go out or get involved in physical activities that don’t require a computer, a smartphone or a tablet. Too many people are adopting something known as the “working habit” where they have to keep connected, they need to be online, they have to be updated.
Although, professionally, this is a good habit to keep. It can help the younger generation stay on top of things, keep updated with work-related news and other issues that need attention. However, this new habit is actually creating more stress in the working environment. Even though the individual who has adopted the working habit takes a break from actual “work” every hour or so, there is no physical disconnection from technology (Hussain, et. Al.). This creates a sensation that there is still work to be done, an emergency could pop out at any minute, and that you can never really get away from work. Instead of actually using breaks productively for leisure time, or a time to step away from the desk, people from the younger workforce are becoming glued or chained to their computer screens.
Between work and home
Technological developments are supposed to help people be more productive (Bronson). New innovations are supposed to help employees complete their work tasks more efficiently. For example, the internet helps businesses connect with each other even when they are thousands of miles apart, physically. These new innovations are meant to make working “easier”, thereby actually decreasing the amount of work to be done. Although, instead of actually making work easier for employees, it leaves room for them to do other tasks. This means that they have more responsibilities than ever.
Since the regular employee can complete work with “ease”, it would not be difficult for them to take work home. Now, with the convenience of laptops, wireless internet and video-chat, more and more people are taking their office everywhere they go. Instead of actually enjoying their time at home, a lot of employees are waiting for e-mails, phone calls, text messages or other notifications. When does anyone find time for leisure?
Of course, it is not unusual for someone to go on vacation to “get away from it all”. This type of leisure is common, especially for those who hold an office job and would want to step away from their cubicle. However, instead of enjoying their vacation, most people pack their suitcases with their laptops and tablets. While lounging on the beach, they keep their ears glued to their smartphones. Is this actually leisure?
The problem with today’s technological society is the need to stay connected (Haller, Hadler, and Kaup 1). Leaving your phone at home for one day, disconnecting the wireless router or staying away from social media websites is alarmingly difficult for a lot of people. Instead of being able to physically enjoy their vacation, there are some people who fear being disconnected.
Information and communication
The internet and technology provides its users with instant gratification. Instead of heading to the library, or actually asking someone older or more knowledgeable, people now turn to the internet. How often have you heard the phrase “just Google it” this week alone?
People have an internet connection at home, they have access to it in school, at work, in the restroom, in coffee shops, in their cars and practically everywhere they go. This kind of constant connection keeps them locked in with the need to know more, and the need to know what other people are doing.
Technology is not necessarily a bane in society. It actually helps a lot of people become more productive during the day. Today, people are able to communicate with others who are halfway across the globe with one click of the mouse. There is the ability to stay connected with people you love, even though you are thousands of miles away.
However, this constant connection is also eating away at physical leisure activities (Haller, Hadler, and Kaup 24). Now, people have to post photographs on Instagram whenever they go to the gym or hit the beach. People feel the need to let everyone know what they are doing in 140 characters or less, where they are eating and who they are with, instead of actually enjoying their time. When was the last time you didn’t Instagram your lunch?
The convenience of technology and the ability to stay connected with everyone you know has gotten people obsessed with microblogging and announcing their every move. They wait for “likes” and comments, feeling competitive or insecure. Every activity needs to be posted, updated or streamed.
Online advertising
The internet has opened up new opportunities for advertising. Now, advertisers and companies, large and small, are able to reach their target market with one flashy page banner. These online advertisements might seem harmless, but they can also interfere with the time people spend on leisure (Haller, Hadler, and Kaup 26).
People spend hours at work, most of their day goes by in front of the computer. As soon as they get home, they check emails, log on Facebook, Tweet about how horrible their boss is and maybe Instagram their awesome home-cooked meal. Instead of going out and running errands, there are a lot of things that can now be done with an app or through the internet. Therefore, people would choose to maximize their time at home by ordering groceries online or booking an appointment with a useful smartphone app (Klein, et al. 186).
Online advertisements keep people busy, and they keep individuals clicking. You might think that these banners don’t affect you, but there are times that you are enticed by the images on them, or on what they have to offer. Viral emails work, one way or another. Users do open one or two emails from an advertiser. The bombardment of information takes time away from us. Next thing we know, we’ve spend two hours just clicking through random advertisements, looking for the information that we thought we needed.
Internet advertisements are now also an effective way of telling people what kind of lifestyle they should choose to lead. Online shopping isn’t just for clothes, now you can buy almost anything online, even a wife! This
Technological leisure
Technological leisure isn’t just about setting time aside for yourself once you are done with all your work. It can keep you from doing the things that you need to do, and it takes away the time that you could spend away from the computer. Too many people are stuck to their desks, whether it is at home or at work.
Being social has been redefined, thanks to the phenomenon which is social media (Hussain, et. Al.). Instead of meeting up with friends, people would enter a group conference chat or choose to text message each other after school. More and more people are comfortable with the constant connection that they have with their friends and acquaintances, that it’s okay to stay at home and not see anyone they know. People are kept updated with the supposedly private lives of their friends. This kind of connection makes them feel as if they are part of the story. There is no gap, there is no mystery, and there is nothing left to wonder.
The technological leisure of today’s generation has redefined leisure all together (Bronson). It is now more individualized, it is less physical and it is more fast-paced. Instead of enjoying leisure time, the youth today is generating stress and becoming more dependent on technology. The point of having leisure time is to step away from the desk and have time where you are able to breathe (Klein, et al. 186). Technology is chaining the youth to desks, creating a habit of working, even though work has already been completed.
Not only is technology distracting the youth from productive leisure time, it can also be a cause for ineffectiveness at the job. With access to so many other things on the internet, it is easy for someone to get lost in their task. Individuals can easily be led astray by numerous online advertisements.
It is true that technology has made a lot of peoples’ lives easier, and it is true that leisure has now become redefined with the new innovations present. However, it is also true that technological leisure does not offer the same benefits as physical leisure. When an individual takes a break from his or her work, yet still stays glued to the computer screen, the leisure time is not used productively. The ability to stay connected, even when away from the office has increased stress in the youth. Technology is a cause for a lot of younger people in the workforce to be chained to their desks, whether at home, in the office or away on vacation.
Works Cited
Eklund, Lina, and Fatima Jonsson. "Time to Play: The rationalization of leisure time." Proceedings of the 2012 iConference. ACM, 2012.
Haller, Max, Markus Hadler, and Gerd Kaup. "Leisure Time in Modern Societies: A New Source of Boredom and Stress?." Social Indicators Research(2013): 1-32.
Hussain, Irshad, Naushaba Gulrez, and Shaheen Ashraf Tahirkheli. "Academic Use of Social Media: Practices and Problems of University Students."International Conference on Education and Management Innovation. 2012.
Klein, Bernhard, et al. "Social acceptance and usage experiences from a mobile location-aware service environment." Mobile lightweight wireless systems. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2012. 186-197.
National Institute of Health (2012). NIH study finds leisure-time physical activity extends life expectance as much as 4-5 years. Retrieved from http://www.nih.gov/news/health/nov2012/nci-06.htm
Po Bronson (2006). How We Spend Our Leisure Time. Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1549394,00.html
