In Barbara Ehrenreich's essay "Spudding Out" she expresses her very negative views on watching TV in present time and in the past. She is mostly saying that watching TV is making American's couch potatoes who just sit around and don't do anything. She does understand that there are some benefits to watching TV, such as being with the family and watching something other than her own life. She also sees how so many Americans engage in being a couch potato because she enjoys to just relax and watch TV on occasion too. Her overall statement in her essay is that American's enjoy watching television has much as they do because they are watching a world without television.
Even though Ehreneich didn't talk about other gadgets, she did give the impression that her views on TV watching would be the same, maybe even worse on her opinion with other gadgets. From the essay it seemed that she would believe that other gadgets, especially mobile ones would encourage Americans to become even more lazy. Having a mobile gadget could be used just a TV but without the family bonding benefits. .
In today's time everyone is fascinated with technology and how far it has come. It all started with a small radio that families would sit around and enjoy each other's company. Now people's lives are based around technology in every way, rather it is a smart phone, a tablet, laptop or a MP3 player. One can't go anywhere without seeing someone with some type of new technology. Even businesses are starting to use iPad or some type of tablet to enhance their business and make it easier for other employees and companies. .
When the elderly generation now was younger they didn't have the gadget people have today. They had to write all their assignments by hand, use a dictionary as a spell check, and had to check out books from the local library for research. Elderly Americans are more likely to see all the new gadgets as a negative or useless.
