December 17, 2017

Solutions To Everyday Family Life

Solutions To Everyday Family Life: A Technological Approach

A foolish thing to say, would be to say that the digital age is coming. Not that the sentiment is wrong, but it would probably be safe to say that we are currently well into the digital age. Just about everyone and their grandmother carries some sort of technology on them at all times, be it a phone or a tablet, a smartwatch, or maybe a laptop tucked away in the bag somewhere.

Everyone is in on the electrical craze, but really, who can blame them? Technology not only makes everyday life much easier, and it would be hard to imagine the current daily events without it, but it also serves as an entertainment platform. Some websites such as YouTube, have gained such a massive following due to their widespread appeal, that they have become family favourites, and household names. Times are a-changin' and you can stick with your old ways as long as you can, but in reality, you are the one missing out. A better course of action would be to start making life easier for yourself and follow suit, going with the flow of time, slowly becoming the household of the future. In order to make your everyday family life easier, let’s look at a few ways in which you can utilise your usual tech to make family life much easier, and enjoyable.

Answers for anything, anytime

Since it has been almost two decades since Google came into existence, for some of the younger generation, it might be hard to realise what life without an omniscient search engine at their disposal 24/7 could be like. At times, it is easy to forget that we have just about infinite knowledge, spanning across billions of topics with us at all times, in a small rectangular box which fits in our pocket. Only a few decades ago, it would have sounded like the most fantastic science fiction gadget in existence, but now it is so commonly accepted as the norm, that the average person doesn't question it or think of utilising it to its full potential.

Answering questions of curious youngsters has never been easier, and keeping your parental all-knowing status intact can now last much longer than the first 15 years of your child’s life. Keep in mind that Google is not where it ends, not at all. The internet is vast, with more websites than you could possibly visit in your entire life, with a seemingly endless amount of knowledge on almost any given topic. If you have not been using the internet for more than just cat videos and scrolling through social media, you should start now.

Image source: Pexels Keeping family ties

The way the world is heading, it is becoming harder and harder to go meet your loved ones or the family. As a race, we are now more global than ever, and family members living all across the world has become somewhat of a regular thing. Of course, the phone has now been well established for over a century, and it has made global communication a much more common occurrence. Software like WhatsApp, Telegram and any other app on the Android Marketplace or the App Store which provide some sort of communication, usually allow you to connect to others through the internet alone, rather than your regular payment plan for your mobile phone.

Keeping that in mind, you have to realise that the internet also does not come free, fortunately for us, a mere message being sent through the internet is so minuscule in size that it practically does not even affect your data allowance. This makes it a much cheaper option of communication whether you are using internet on your phone or laptop alike. Due to PCs and laptops having usually being associated with much less internet related limitations, Skype has been the go-to software for years when it came to getting in touch with family abroad...it doesn't matter if they happen to be on the other side of the globe, Skype has been there for you, and free; despite some other applications popping up here and there which are technically superior, they either have a different target market in mind or are nowhere near as widespread.

No more wandering around aimlessly, find what you need, when you need it

This partly ties in with the first point, referring to the availability of data and information at any time. Within the past decade or so, businesses across the globe are hopping onto the digital gravy train and utilising their online presence to garner customers 24 hours a day. As profitable as it may be for them, it is much more of a quality of life improvement for yourself. Maybe you want to purchase a new house? Check out the new launch condo at any time you please to stay on top of the situation. Want to check the availability of christmas gifts nearby? If the shop which might have it, has a website, you can probably check the stock on it even in the middle of the night when the shop is closed. Hungry and want to find a cozy place to have a meal? Online, you can find nearby restaurants, the restaurant’s ratings, how busy it is, the menu, the prices and sometimes even if they have any free tables at the moment. Streamlining these kinds of things in everyday life saves you time and allows you to spend time on things which truly matter to you. Spending time out with the family can be pre-planned, and you can be sure that the day out will not turn out to be a letdown.

Image source: Pixabay Bridging the generation gap

Trends amongst young people come and go faster than fashion seasons and if you are not of a younger age yourself, then you probably have way too much to worry about to keep up with the latest trends. The lack of a common interest, and topics to discuss the two parties can often lead to growing apart, and spending more time doing your own things rather than spending some family time together. If you are on the younger side, and feel like your parents are growing distant, it might be hard to suddenly force a topic of conversation without making it feel too awkward. Fortunately, technology has grown in so many directions, that being able to relate to some of your parent’s interests with something as simple as an app on your phone is easier than ever.

If you happen to be on the side of the parent, and slowly but surely, the feeling of your child slipping away more and more is becoming painfully apparent, you should try and get involved in something which both generations can relate to. Maybe you should start a project which involves you both, like setting up a home cinema with your kids?

As one of the few technologies which has successfully bridged the generation gap, why not make use of the common interest in TV? Sitting around planning and then going on shopping trips together could prove to be just the bonding experience you need. Not to mention the aftermath, of evenings spent together on the sofa, watching movies on your fancy new home theater.