Transcriber: Cao Lưu Thế Bảo CTU Reviewer: Jeong-han Kim What has been a driving factor for human evolution dating back hundreds of years has been the ability to stick together. Cooperation has essentially built our lives, but with the rise in technology, face to face interactions are beginning to decline. And more importantly, family traditions and family traditions are important.
Believe it or not, they are universally significant to our sense of identity. For my talk, I chose to highlight the importance of maintaining family traditions and the benefits that a high sense of identity can have on an individual. So how important are family traditions?
Very, but luckily you don’t have to take my word for it because there are many studies which back this up. An entertainment article released by The Washington Post in 2017 revealed what kind of revealed many statistics about what kind of world children were growing up in as parents were grappling with the rise of technology. So how did the U.
S. watch videos throughout the years. Looking at 1995, we can see that 100% of the U.
S. population used tapes to watch videos. Let's pick another year, 2007, which coincidentally is the year I was born.
In 2007, tapes had already died and DVDs were the new big thing. But looking at that small blue peak, we can see that already 6% of people in the U. S.
were going to the digital era. Let’s take one last statistic, 2016. In 2016, 56% of the population used digital media to watch videos.
In other words, in just nine years, there was a 50% rise in digital technology. Let's pick another question that people have cell phones. In 1995, it would seem like most people did not have any type of cell phone, with only a small minority having them.
In 2007, the first iPhone was released and although small, we can see that already 5% of the population was using smartphones. Finally, in 2016, 75% of people owned smartphones. What am I trying to say?
I'm trying to show an important statistic a child like me, born in 2007, would already be growing up in a world infused with entertainment at the reach of our hands. At age nine, we would already hear about the latest iPhone release, and like any small child, our minds would center around one main thought to have the most fun in the easiest way possible. And what sounds like more fun to a nine year old sitting around a table talking about your school day or the latest gig on an iPhone.
It's not really a surprise that social media has taken such a hit on family traditions, but let’s go back to our roots. Why are they important in the first place? Sitting around a dinner table is not just a way for your parents to hear about what you had for lunch.
It's a path to adopting communication skills and empathy, patience, and even a sense of humor. And it doesn't need to be complicated. My parents are Italian, So by culture we're used to eating together.
But this can vary depending on your nationality. In fact, when I was younger, a way for us to feel more connected was to watch movies together. And one night my parents would let my brother choose a movie and then me the next night.
And I don't know how many people grew up with siblings in this room, but I can tell you it took a great deal of negotiation skills. However, this taught me many, the small gesture taught me many skills on patience, amongst other things. Young children cannot learn these simple yet crucial teachings through social media.
In nature, there is one main drive. There is the will to survive. But the human race has a will to live and to experience and to love.
And so that it's essential that we are conscious about what we put our time and energy into. And even just taking 30 minutes to think your thoughts through with your family can have great benefits. Thank you.
