Technology and the Filipino family

TECHNOLOGY has indeed changed the way we live.

Computers have gone a long way from the invention of the abacus to the age of net books and tablets.

We saw how mass communication has advanced quickly from the town crier to broadcasting.

These advancements have generally made our work faster and easier.

The world has evolved from the so-called ‘generation-e’ or the generation of electronics to a much sophisticated world of microcomputers and integrated technologies.

Most gadgets and tools, which technology provides, have penetrated almost all facets of human relations.

Many parents and elders, however, have complained or feared that the proliferation of mobile and online technologies has slowly contributed to the ‘erosion’ of family values among families especially among Filipino children.

Then, we ask. Did technology replace the warmth of face-to-face communication with the seemingly cold texts or images of videocall? Or did the ‘e-lamay’ take away the embraces among relatives in times of grief?

Is technology slowly taking away the age old Filipino cultural values? No it did not; it does not and will definitely not.

Technology has offered us ways of doing things easier and faster but this does not mean that technology itself has taken away our values system.

Our consumption of technology does not and should not blur our notion of a family and a nation. The tools and gadgets are only there to assist us, not to manipulate us.

Let us remember that the power of technology emanates from the very people who create and use them. It is us who create the content of technology.

Therefore, it is our responsibility to make sure that the power of technology is geared towards the preservation of our heritage as a family and a nation.

Then, again, we should ask. Are we doing something to keep our values intact? Have we sustained and promoted our positive values amid these vast technological advances?

We must learn to use technology to keep our values intact. As we familiarize ourselves with the latest technology, let us continue to live by the same values our parents and elders have taught us.

It is always the human factor that will spell the difference.

The Filipino Family should learn to adapt to these changes and use technology in a way that Filipino cultural values are enhanced and promoted rather than being lost or diminished.

I was thinking of how the cellular phone or the tablet, or the PC can actually replace our classic ‘mano po’.

In fact, I was even amused that in the use of modern technology, the ‘po’ and ‘opo’ is no longer a language between the young and the old but even by persons of the same age.

In this world of Iphones and tablets, the challenge remains for the Filipino Family to sustain its positive cultural values and maintain its unique bond in the 'real' community amid cyberspace and mediated reality.