Technology's Impact on Recreation

Recreation is not often thought about as something that is impacted by technology. Technology has impacted recreation professionals and costumers. It has also changed equipment that people use for recreational activities. All of this has had both positive and negative affects. Computers and technology have a tremendous influence on recreation and they will continue to do so in the future.

It is safe to say that computers or some piece of technology are used in most offices today. This includes recreation offices. Computers make it easier for staff to communicate together. It is an essential part of the office. “Many users today are so dependent on their computers that they cannot perform their jobs if the computer they use, or the LAN they are on, is not functioning” (Murphy, 3). This is extremely true.

I worked at a county campground over the summer where we used computers to register our campers. There were many times, especially in the mornings when the computers wouldn’t work. When this occurred we had to tell the costumers to come back later, or call our main office. Things went a lot smoother when the computers worked. We were able to tell people what sites were available and when in just a couple of minutes. It was impossible to look up that information by hand, because it was all on our computers.

Recreational costumers benefit from computers. They are able to use the internet to sign up for classes and other recreational programs. “Park district Web sites will allow residents not only the ability to get into classes, but also to change classes, drop classes, request refunds, and to manage their accounts online” (Murphy, 3). This speeds up the process of many things, because a person doesn’t ha...

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...urred at the campground I worked at over the summer. Some people just did not want to learn how to use the computers. This made it hard on everyone, because then only certain people could register campers.

Technology in the recreation field has pros and cons. I do believe that the positives do out weigh the negatives. It has created more and different types of equipment for activities. This allows people with special needs to participate in activities they would otherwise not have the chance to do, because of the advancements in technology. It has broadened the world of recreation, and will continue to increase with time.

Works Cited

Edginton, Christopher R., et al. Leisure and Life Satisfaction. New York: McGraw-Hill,

2002.

Murphy, Jeff. Technology in the Park and Recreation Workplace. 9 November

http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/ip011119.html.