I'm just stating that there should be more than just "digital". Yes, in many cases, like mine, "digital" might be the best way to communicate with others. But it is important that there is more to it than just "digital".
In my opinion, the real world (or the one in your head), no matter if you prefer to explore it alone or with friends, can fuel the imagination better than the digital world. But in order for this to happen, you have to actively play, not just consume what others have created.
That doesn't mean that "digital" can't be a huge inspiration, though. But at least for me, getting confronted with the huge, uncontrollable environment that is "outside my house" has always put new ideas, new fantasies, new dreams into my head. Especially if i explore it alone and i have nothing to do but think about the endless possibilities for the future, or the history of the place. Or just seeing a bird fly or seeing a dog follow an invisible trail. When walking through a forest, my mind fills with fairy tale creatures, soldiers trying to find shelter in winter, trees frantically racing upwards to the sky to catch more sunlight. When i see a mountain, i can't help but wonder how it came to be, my mind creating scenarios by fast-forwarding geologic times and make continental drift and erosion happen in a flash.
What i am really trying to say is, people need more than social media and cold hard facts. Imagination and daydreaming are not only enjoyable activities, they are essential to being human. But a good imagination is a skill like all others. You have to use it, you have to train it. You have to teach it to your children. And, if "digital" becomes to overwhelming and time consuming, you have to find ways to "force" (and i use that word very, very loosely) your children to get more experience in those skills. Just like you sometimes have to "force" them to do their homework and learn facts.
That's my opinion. Needless to say, i'm not good at interaction with people (especially children), so don't give any credence to my methods. But i stand by the fact that imagination in all its forms is a very important skill to learn and to train.
perl -e 'use Crypt::Digest::SHA256 qw[sha256_hex]; print substr(sha256_hex("the Answer To Life, The Universe And Everything"), 6, 2), "\n";'
| [reply] [d/l] |