Stop logging out! – Speech

So the debate about what is the “correct” and “high-quality” summer experience is back in the media. And the right thing is to be logged out. The psychologists, hobby psychologists and therapists are as usual on the ball with what is the real summer; the defining experience of bare feet and wild strawberries, children laughing and playing with their parents, generations uniting over good conversation, the quiet moments by a pond, or the view from the nearest mountain peak. Your tips, generic as they are, mostly consist of finding yourself, alone, in nature. That is Norwegian happiness! The influencers pounce; they “sign off”, even though they usually make a living by sharing their lives on social media. They see the light, whether they usually lie in a sleeping bag all year or give medical advice via their social media. Well-funded and full of paradoxes, they recommend “signing off”. Those of us who have not seen the light of mere screen power must now follow their courage and wisdom. One cliché about the threats of the screen replaces the other. Soon you can get both withered hair and rotten teeth by looking at a screen. As the old lady against the grain, I have to come out of the closet as a functional family that copes with screens, even during the holidays. Our family keeps track of what others are doing and where they are, we send updates and messages, we explore places and receive tips – in real time! We meet known and unknown people, in real life – gain new knowledge and share memories. We see that those we are happy with have a nice summer, whether it is in Rome, Lofoten or in Fyllingsdalen. We see the diversity of Norwegian summer, the joy of having time off, memories of times gone by, dreams of new goals. We know more about the world, we learn to separate the wheat from the wheat, we laugh and cry, discuss and be inspired. We spend more time together as a family, on and off screens, than previous generations could ever dream of. Our children are more competent, up-to-date, more critical, more curious, more tolerant and more enthusiastic than my generation was. Was it really that much better quality of life to hang out at the kiosk? Sitting on the moped, reading Bravo and smoking? Was spending hours in the backseat of an old Volvo a qualitative reflection between the siblings? Were mum and dad happy to make their way through Denmark to Legoland? Was a tea party at great aunt’s, with dry cake and juice, the pinnacle of happiness? Was Sunda on the roadside the healthiest thing we could experience? The experts who every year contribute to making you feel guilty because you and your family are having fun with social media, can take their notebook, their tent, the good conversation, the teapot and go far into the field, or on top of a mountain, preferably a place without cover. Let them sit there with their good advice and reflections, and the rest of us can buy an extra data package and live life, physically and digitally! Published 28/07/2024, at 13.17



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