*Some hints of spoilers for this movie later in the blog*
When the first trailer for Toy Story 5 introduced
Lily Pad, a new tablet that appears to distract Bonnie from her toys, many
people immediately assumed the movie was making the familiar argument that
"technology is ruining childhood." At first, I thought so too. I also
thought that I was going to really despise the Smarty Pants toy voiced by none
other than Conan O’Brien, but I stand corrected on that too. After reading this
week's articles on global technology use, I started wondering if the movie is
actually criticizing technology itself, or something much more specific.
One statistic that surprised me came from Pew Research.
Germany has internet access rates comparable to many developed countries, with
nearly nine in ten adults using the internet. Smartphone ownership is also
widespread, yet Germans use social media much less frequently than Americans.
The issue isn't access to technology; it's how people choose to use it. So, my
perception of Lily Pad was changed a bit afterward… if Bonnie lived somewhere
that viewed tablets primarily as educational tools or occasional entertainment,
would Lily Pad even seem like a villain? Maybe not. The conflict exists only
because the tablet becomes the center of Bonnie's attention, while everything
else (her imagination and toys) fades into the background.
The readings this week emphasized that access to technology
alone doesn't determine digital culture. Countries with similar levels of
internet and smartphone access often have very different patterns of social
media use and online participation. Germany is one example, where internet use
is high, but social media participation is noticeably lower than in countries
like the United States. As Americans, we
often associate technology with constant notifications, endless scrolling,
recommendation algorithms, and always being connected. But that's not the only
way technology is experienced around the world. The Web 2.0 environment isn't universal…
its environment reflects cultural norms just as much as technological
capability.
So, even as we come to see that storyline-wise
Lily is not the bad guy, we really shouldn’t even perceive her to be the antagonist
from the initial trailers. The tablet isn't making decisions on its own. It's
simply delivering exactly what it's designed to deliver: personalized, engaging
content that keeps Bonnie's attention. The real conflict is about what happens
when convenience, entertainment, and algorithmic recommendations begin
replacing imagination and unstructured play. As someone who has spent this
semester thinking about Web 2.0, I found that perspective much more interesting
than another "screens are bad" message. The movie seems less like a
critique of technology and more like a reminder that technology always exists
within a culture. Different countries may have the same devices, but they don't
always build the same habits around them. Maybe that's what Lily Pad represents:
not technology itself, but the way our relationship with technology can quietly
reshape how we spend our attention.
Hi! You make a fascinating point about global usage patterns, but I disagree with you. Bonnie is a little girl. Yes, Americans, more than any other nation, know the power of instant gratification and wanting more. However, Bonnie's prefrontal cortex is not fully developed to self-regulate screen time. This is where her parents should step in. But as a parent, I can tell you that it is not always easy. First, you must resist the pressure to buy a smartphone for your young child, then you must make sure to know enough not to buy a phone that is too powerful. After that, you must be able to set all kinds of limits and security controls. You just want your child to grow up well and be able to use her phone and all the technology responsibly. I do not think it should be so hard for the parents to do all of this. Honestly, I believe that a part of the burden should be carried by the social media companies.
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