How Has Childhood Changed Culture Essay

Introduction

Over the years, childhood has changed in many ways. With the invention of the printing press and the spread of a print culture, this culture became the causal agent of the rise of childhood. When the print culture was replaced with an electronic medium, it became the primary agent in the decline of childhood (Postman, 1994).

Views

In my opinion, childhood has drastically changed from what I remember growing up to what it is today. The word childhood, to me, means innocence, having an imagination, being creative, and having freedom. Over 20 years ago, children were safer, there was more of a sense of community, technology barely existed, and children had better manners. Children played outside more due to the freedom of those

In the past, there were certain things that children did not see or hear, and now, these same “secrets” are shown in children’s movies, and considered “adult humor” (Postman, 1994).

Television is something that is easily accessible for any child. I can agree with Postman when he stated that the transformation of childhood was when literacy disappeared, education disappeared, shame disappeared and essentially childhood disappeared. Though, he predicted all of this in the 90’s, I see it happening every day. The culture of our current generation of children has completely changed from when I was a child and the young are more tech-savvy than generations before (Postman, 1994).

Now, children are not learning how I learned, but instead, teachers are teaching to a test. Childhood is being removed in the educational setting because of these tests and expectations. Children have less recess and imaginative play, sit for longer periods of time, have bigger classes, and schools are more technology based. Children are being transformed into miniature adults as they were in the past, and the “cradle period” is no longer valued as it was (Postman, 1994).

Diagnostic