Leisure and Technology Chapter 7 Technology has enhanced traditional pastimes and invented completely new ones Good or bad Debatable There are many different types of technology and all have changed our leisure Key Issues Screen Time On average Americans spend approximately 7 8 hours a day doing non work screen time May occur during work time Includes computer video games tv phones etc o 2 3 hours a day spent doing non work activities while at work Technology and Obesity 1 in 3 children and adolescence are overweight In America Obesity rates for children have doubled in the past 20 years Obese children are 70 more likely to have at least one risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease For the 1st time in history decreased life expectancy Impact o Lack of physical activity Only 29 meet recommended daily 60 minutes of physical activity o Shift in recreation choices Less physically active More media use and stationary free time choices Children spend more time in front of screens than they do playing outside 70 of parents rarely or never limit their children s screen time o Not just health issues o Not just children Too much time spent watching television and playing video games can double the risk of attention problems In children and young adults More than 1 3 US adults are obese Obesity related conditions include heart disease stroke type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer Simulated Leisure An imitation of the reality of the experience Occurring at an unprecedented rate Fidelity accuracy of reproducing the experience Examples o Driver simulation o Golf simulator o Wave pool o Indoor skydiving o Wii o Indoor rock climbing Sometimes fake can be more compelling than the real thing Technology and Families Study of families who decided to be become tv free o More involved in community service o Children more physically active o Students received better grades o Marriages were happier o Felt they kept up on news sports o 85 never doubted their decision to turn off the TV Benefits of Technology in Families o Recent research o Couples contact each other daily to chat text coordinate schedules o Parents and children contact each other daily o Families use computer for shared experiences Go online with another person play games etc Overall respondents saw much upside and little downside to the way technology has affected the quality of their communications Video Games o Billion dollar industry o Video game market is diversifying Women Older market o Time consuming leisure activity for many o Motivation Study of college students Excitement Mastery Have nothing else to do Have friends who play o Similar to other leisure activities o Positive aspects Can promote interaction with others Video games and their characters can provide a source of friendship for players Delay of onset of dementia o Violence In video games you re a criminal you go around and shoot people Vivid graphics and an array of guns Began in the 1990s Mortal Kombat Most popular video games today found that 80 were violent in nature Unique dangers Identification with the aggressor player assumes the identity and controls the action of the character Active participation Video games are addictive in nature become dependent on the game Technology created for military purposes now being used for leisure purposes read the book MMOs Massive multiplayer online games Lack of real world hangouts driving MMOs Similar to Third Place physical places outside the home and workplace that people use for informal social interaction Cyberhoods o Virtual neighborhoods formed in cyberculture Create a sense of belonging o Second Life promotes the idea of self sustaining virtual economy o The actions of avatars are controlled by people behind the Wizard of Oz like computer screen Technology and Social Capital Distinguished from physical capital house car and human capital college education and The benefits of relationships and connections cultural capital experiences Article Reading there will be 2 questions on exam o Example used WWII veterans o Technology has had a profound impact on what it means to be social o Involved in many relationships through tech but quality of these leave people feeling qualitatively empty o Narcissism excessive interest in oneself Putting a lot of effort into good interesting pictures of oneself o But also an opportunity to connect with others with similar interests Social Media o Linking people in some way o Revolutionizing the way we communicate and share information o Online Dating Huge business Why has it become so popular First dates taking place through the computer Tourism and Technology How will the tourism industry be affected by technology One impact the WAY we travel and WHERE we go Time saver Better options Convenient o Driverless Autonomous cars Less DUI s Who is to blame for an accident No driving while fatigued Multi tasking There is always the possibility of malfunction o Helium filled airship hotel Kind of a big blimp o Space Hotels We have the ability to create habitats in space It is a matter of economic interest and creating an industry Changing the nature of sports Instant replays used to be a debate but now it is expected Technology and Sports Athletes have become better due to training and equipment Records Sports have become more interesting o Are we really setting new records if our equipment has improved from past years o Better bats more homeruns beat records of previous players o It s a different playing field Technology and sport safety o Football helmets that can detect concussions Online Fantasy Sports o Changed the way sports are viewed reported and discussed o Increases viewership because your team depends on players across the league o Women make up a growing market o Football is most popular o Long term investment for participants o Expected to continue to expand Summary Technological advances can be good or bad Not a simple response Moderation is needed We are definitely not going back and there are more advances to come