Now that it’s
November, my grandparents have already started e-mailing and calling my cousins
and me, asking what’s on our Christmas lists this year. Of course I haven’t
even begun to start thinking this far in advance, so I always promise I’ll
think about it, make a list, and send it to them “really soon.” My oldest
cousin, Michelle, has consistently been on the top of her game, though. She
starts her list in September and is always incredibly thorough, waiting for the
November call from our grandparents where she inevitably becomes the favorite
grandchild for being so prepared. This October, Michelle’s new baby Deklyn just
turned one, so the majority of the items on her list are for Deklyn. This year,
one of the items at the top of her list is an iPad for baby Deklyn to play
games on. She explained to me that there are tons of games intended for very young
kids to play that help with their motor skills and can even help them learn to
read earlier. I’m sure I’ve heard of this before, but the idea of my baby
cousin playing on an iPad seems crazy to me.
This reminded me of
the article we read a few months ago, “Disney's 'Little Mermaid Second Screen
Live' adds iPad twist,” which describes the latest innovation in movie-going.
Movie viewers (specifically young children) are encouraged to download a
particular app and bring their iPad with them to see a movie, during which they
can play games and sing along with the story on the screen. The article claims that Disney sees this new
sort of iPad initiative as a way to lure in a young audience who would be
attracted by the idea of being able to interact with the movie. While I think
the idea of somehow “interacting” with a classic Disney movie seems exciting,
I’m more concerned about what this type of entertainment could be doing to the
youngest generation. Why is it no longer enough to simply go to a movie for the
sake of watching the movie? Have we
really become so attached to and dependent on our electronic devices that we
can’t survive two hours in a theater without them? I agree that we are rapidly
progressing towards a more technological era and that we should embrace the
opportunities technology can provide, but certain things, especially classic
Disney movies, should maintain some degree of inviolability.
Unfortunately, I can’t test out this new
form of entertainment myself, at least until it comes to a theater closer to
me. If you want to see for yourself what “Second Screen Live” is really all
about, here is a link to a preview, list of participating theaters, and easy
way to download the app you’ll need for the event.
If anyone ends up trying out one of these
movies over the next few breaks (if you happen to be in CA, NY, or NJ), I’d
love to hear what you thought!
Thanks for bringing this up again because I had almost forgotten about this article! I remember when we read this that it seemed strange to me as well that children were becoming so dependent on technology. I understand that an event like the "Second Screen Live" one could provide an enormous profit for Disney if the app required isn't free and if this event becomes popular. However, if events such as these do become popular, Disney would have a hard time going back to its previous movie-going experience which could drive away teens and adults who do not wish to extend their movie by playing games intending for children. Overall, I think that a change like this would ultimately be detrimental to children by making them grow more dependent on electronic devices.
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