Why Are You So...Old!?

There's something happening here, but you don't know what it is"

Today's post will be somewhat of a continuation of last week's (although you should have been expecting that, after all, this is a blog on a singular topic - it's all a continuation!)

For as long as this specific generation gap has existed, it's been criticized. Accusations, especially against Generation Y have been thrown about and widely accepted as fact. These accusations stand as the following¹:

• **They (Generation Y) are dumber than we (Generation X) were at their age. "Today we are lying to ourselves about the renaissance the computer will bring. It will bring nothing. What it means is that the neo-cortex is finally eating itself." - Robert Bly
• **They're screenagers, Net addicted, losing their social skills and they have no time for sports or healthy activities. 
• **They have no shame.
• **Because their parents have coddled them, they are adrift in the world and afraid to choose a path.
• **They steal.
• **They're bullying friends online.
• **They're violent.
• **They have no work ethic and will be bad employees.
• **This is the latest narcissistic "me" generation.
• **They don't give a damn.

The twenty-first century teen, connected and multitasked, autonomous yet peer-mindful, makes no great leap forward in human intelligence, global thinking, or netizen-ship. Young users have learned a thousand new things, no doubt. They upload and download, surf and chat, post and design, but they haven't learned to analyze a complex text, store facts in their heads, comprehend a foreign policy decision, take lessons from history, or spell correctly. Never having recognized their responsibility to the past, they have opened a fissure in our civic foundations, and it shows in their halting passage into adulthood and citizenship."

The above list comes from the first chapter of the book, "Grown Up Digital" by Don Tapscott. I could not recommend this book more (it's already been given rave reviews by a variety of tech-based business leaders including: Google CEO and chairman Eric Schmidt; Editor in Chief of Wired, Chris Anderson; and Nicholas Negroponte, the chairman and founder of the One Laptop Per Child project).

However, the book is not all doom-and-gloom as suggested by the list above. In fact, Tapscott spends the rest of the book arguing against and proving the list to be completely wrong.

He lists the '8 Norms of the Net Generation³:'

1. Freedom
2. Customization
3. Scrutiny
4. Integrity
5. Collaboration
6. Entertainment
7. Speed
8. Innovation

Traditional (Gen. X) Office Space (image via Flickr) vs Google (Gen. Y) Office Space (image via Google)

Employers, I will argue, have two options. They can refuse to adapt to the Net Gen, stick to their old hierarchies, and reinforce the generational firewall that separates the managers from the newly hired minions. But if they do, I believe, they will forfeit the chance to learn from the Net Gen - to absorb both their mindset and their tools of collaboration. In this complex business environment, that would be a bad choice. Instead, I think, the winners will be those companies in the corporate world who choose [to]...embrace the Net Geners' collaborative ways. ⁶

Education
As Tapscott discussed in the above video, Generation Y is changing education too (or rather, education needs to start changing for them). While the traditional style of teaching is the lecture format - Generation Y learns through their own norms to most effectively find, analyze, synthesize, and collaborate in learning. They are the first generation of interactive learners, they don't want to just sit and listen, they want to do and apply as they learn. ⁷

Relationships
When Baby Boomers were young, the family was organized into a hierarchy: Dad was at the top as the highest in command; Mom came next as second in command; and below her, the children.

Since that time, things have shifted and now children (Generation Y specifically) are in the middle of it all. Why? Because Generation X parents are more democratic and less authoritarian in their parenting styles. And, for the first time ever, the child has a role in the family as the "Tech expert," an authority on something. While parents were previously the experts in everything in the household and had a stricter parenting style; because of the generation gap in technology, they must now defer to their children when it comes to one of the most important aspects of daily life in the 21st century - Technology. ⁸

Thoughts, Comments, Questions
I had hoped to use a questionnaire to be answered but it didn't really get the response I was hoping for (it actually got...no response which was, honestly - more than a little disappointing. )

However, I have received a couple of comments on Facebook and here on the blog, regarding the topic of Generation Gaps in Technology, and I thought I'd take a moment and highlight/respond to them!

Facebook Comments
I am sure your parents understand the importance of music (they were teenagers during the 80s after all). However, it's important to keep in mind that they grew up during a time that didn't allow for the level of music customization that you're used to now. Your parents were limited to listening to whatever was being played on the radio. However, you have access to thousands of songs through websites like last.fm, grooveshark.com, itunes.com, and on amazon.com. You can download a huge variety of music genres and then arrange it on your iPod in any way you like. Generation X grew up having specific music selections served to them by whatever corporations were in charge of their favorite radio stations. To them, the idea of spendings hours picking out songs and arranging them into playlists is just a bit unusual, and seems way to time consuming.

I often wonder if Generation X's cautious (ie reading manuals) approach to technology is sometimes just another way that their technophobia shows itself. There's an interesting essay by Harold Hellman called "Technophobia" in which he tells a story about his friend who couldn't get along with his manual transmission car, even after being taught ways to get to car to work better, his friend just couldn't cope with the technology fo the vehicle and wound up having to pay more for an automatic! ⁹ Generation Y (us) can just use technology because we grew up with it - it's not even technology to us, it's just life.

Blog Comments
I specifically wanted to respond to the statements that I've underlined.
I honestly don't think that there's a right or a wrong when it comes to this topic. I think it really has more to do with adaptation and the more efficient application of technology. While it's still your choice whether you want to go analog or digital when it comes to most things, there are a variety of items, services, etc. that are making the jump to digital.

For example, you can no longer watch analog TV, it's all broadcast in digital, and in order to watch it on a TV that doesn't have a build in digital connection, you have to buy an adapter for your television in order to access basic channels.

Another example is banking, a lot of banks are using paperless statements (you actually have to specifically request that the bank send you a paper bank statement). And a lot of government documents are no longer completed on paper and sent in via snail mail, but instead you're required to fill out forms online and send them via e-mail.

However, you can still choose to go analog when it comes to a variety of things (although in some cases it's becoming more difficult - for example, you can still take film based photos, but developing them is no longer as easy as it used to be, places like Wal-Mart no longer process film so you're forced to either develop yourself in a dark room OR you can send them away to a higher-priced development lab).

The reality is that while analog still exists (for now), the transition of everything to digital is happening, and if you're going to absolutely insist upon nothing but analog, you're gonna have a hard time living in the 21st century.

Works Cited
[1] Tapscott, Don. Growing up digital. New York, NY: McGrawHill, 2009. 3-5. Print.
[2] Tapscott, Don. Growing up digital. New York, NY: McGrawHill, 2009. 2. Print.
[3] Tapscott, Don. Growing up digital. New York, NY: McGrawHill, 2009. 5. Print.
[4] Tapscott, Don. Growing up digital. New York, NY: McGrawHill, 2009. 160-169. Print.
[5] McLeod, , Dir. Did You Know; Shift Happens - Globalization; Information Age. Youtube: 2007, Film.
    .
[6] Tapscott, Don. Growing up digital. New York, NY: McGrawHill, 2009. 150. Print.
[7] Tapscott, Don. Growing up digital. New York, NY: McGrawHill, 2009. 121-147. Print.
[8] Tapscott, Don. Growing up digital. New York, NY: McGrawHill, 2009. 224-225. Print.
[9] Hellman, Harold. "Technophobia." Technology and Man's Future. Albert H. Teich. New York: St. Martin's Press,
      1981. Print.


Video - TEDxToronto, , Dir. TEDxToronto - Don Tapscott . Perf. Tapscott, Dan. Youtube (TEDxtalks): 2009,
          Film. .

Note – I apologize for the mess-up, I copied and pasted my post from Microsoft Word into blogger and after editing the HTML itself, it looks like something went incredibly wrong and this wasn’t posted correctly AT ALL! (Even now, I'm still having issues with the HTML formatting) So here’s the real post!


There are two specific times and places where the digital generation gap appears to be most prevalent:

• *In the Workplace
• *In Education

      With Generation Y now entering the workforce and Baby Boomers keeping their jobs past the traditional age of retirement, it should be no surprise that there are clashes between ideas, opinions, and work ethics amongst the 3 generations populating the workplace all of which are now largely affected by how the different generations use technology.           A variety of surveys and research studies have been conducted in order to find insights and information about how the generation gap affects productivity and management in the workplace. As a result, people are starting to see some key differences between the generations at work:

Image via Goldbeck Recruiting (A better and more informational chart can be found here in PDF format. Looking closely, it quickly becomes obvious just how much technology use informs the workplace ideals of Generation Y).1           With these findings (and others hopefully to come), companies can learn about and implement new ways of employee management that takes into account these generational differences, thereby strengthening not only their own companies but also the global workforce as a whole.          Additionally, while Generation Y fills the workplace, it’s becoming more and more difficult for older generations to find and keep jobs that require technology-based skills. Many of these jobs don’t have on-the-job training (employers expect potential employees to have prior education and experience with technology regardless of age) which makes it challenging for older, less tech savvy generations to even learn about the technology with which they struggle.2 Note Taking: Digital or Analog?           When broaching the topic of technology and generational gaps in education, there are some specific problems that quickly become obvious. The communication between students, classmates, and teachers; the technologies used in the classroom, the accessibility of education – these are each specific categories in which technology affects learning and teaching styles between the generations.          While a Generation X or Baby Boomer instructor might be used to set office hours during which a student can come and meet with them to communicate any issues he or she might be having in the class; the generation Y student expects to be able to communicate with their instructor at any time of the day via e-mail.          As educational institutions (run by Generation X and Baby Boomer faculty) routinely offer courses on campus at set times; Generation Y continues to demand that they be allowed to access to course content and information anytime, 24/7 at their convenience.  “For the most part, universities operate in fixed locales, campuses, and on fixed calendars, semesters and quarters with classes typically set for 50 minutes, three times per week. In contrast, digital natives live in an anytime/anyplace world, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, unbounded by physical location.”3          And as Generation Y prefers the use of more technology based study aids (i.e. access to textbooks on their iPhones and iPads or the use of laptops for note taking); will generation X teachers see these things as distractions rather than aids? Straight Up...          Overall, it's clear that because of the dominance of Generation Y (and the generations following), technology use will only continue to grow more and more pervasive throughout every aspect of our lives. As much as some members of older generations would like to, they can't stop it, and fighting against it would only make their own lives more difficult. If more studies can be done to learn more about the generation gap and how it could be closed (most likely through greater access to technology education for those who aren't tech savvy), then the generations would likely be able to communicate more effectively in the workplace, in education, and maybe even just in personal relationships.  [1] - Campus Market Expo. Camex.org, n.d. Web. 8 Jun 2011.            <http://www.camex.org/Portals/CAMEX/uploaded_docs/handouts/2-12_HO.pdf>.[2] - Kerz, Marsha. "Let's Bring Aging Americans Into the Information Age." Huffington Post (2010): n. pag. Web. 8 Jun          2011. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-kerz/lets-bring-aging-american_b_799797.html>. [3] - Levine, Arthur. "Digital Students, Industrial-Era Universities ." Views. Inside Higher Ed, 14 Jun 2010. Web. 8 Jun          2011.<http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/06/14/levine>. Videos:Wynn, Garrison, Dir. Generational Differences In The Workplace Segment . Perf. Wynn, Garrison. Youtube: 2008, Film.          <http://youtu.be/iNDIR04LtRk>.Wesch, Michael, Prod. A Vision of Students Today . Dir. Michael Wesch." Digital Ethnography Project: 2010, Film.           <http://youtu.be/MNza3EjY8FQ>.