Throughout the course of history, we have constantly seen examples of younger generations look to set themselves apart from the generations prior. Examples of this could include younger drivers having easier access to cars, students being able to access materials at faster rate than there parents, or even something as simple as pulling through a drive-threw to obtain a quick bite to eat. While there are essentially unlimited examples of these changes, we are currently living in a time where generational gaps can either be greatly reduced…or significantly widen the gap. In a study conducted by Pew Research Center in 2014, they found that 64% of American adults owned a smart phone, while a staggering 90% owned some sort of mobile telephone. The Data Center at Kids count calculated that the number of individuals over the age of 18 in the US was roughly 245,273,438 in the year 2014, meaning that each adult had one phone, there would have been 220,746,094.2 cell phones in the United States. As expected, the percentage of cell phone users decreases as the users age increases. However, Pew Research Center discovered that 74% of adults above the age of 65 used a cell phone; the age range of 50-64 saw 88% using cellular devices; and 18-49 had an astonishing 97.5%!
These statistics bring me to the issue at hand, is technology, more specifically cell phones, hindering or helping the generation gap? In a society that has become almost reliant on having the world at our finger tips, I believe that if used correctly, technology can actually close the generation gap significantly. With this, we will be able to keep in contact with older distant relatives more effectively and not simply be restrained to our elders using out dated corded phones or phones that cannot be operated outside a given distance from the receiver. There will be a significant amount of frustration on the part of the younger generations however. It seems like everyday some new update is available, new program is released or a new social media site is created. Another study conducted by the Pew Research Center found the 48% of individuals over the age of 65 used the social media giant Facebook! That number in my opinion is astonishing, considering I am not sure how many younger users want to be friends with their parents let alone grandparents. Having to constantly teach the older generations about the new trends, tricks and trades of an industry that realistically hasn’t even neared its peak will be a frustrating task. Having to explain what emoji’s are, how to add filters to Instagram, or even something as simple as updating a status will cause many headaches. We all have seen that one middle-aged women in the middle of the grocery store trying to shop, talk on the phone, and watch her children at the same time, it creates headaches for everybody around the situation.
In my professional career as a teacher, I have found myself to be somewhat behind on the latest apps, trends or ways to maneuver around frequent issues that seem to partner technology. Being 23 and a high school teacher should put me in a relatively sound position in being able to identify with the technological changes/ fix any problems that have occured in my classroom. There have been countless times where I had to ask students to help in setting up a new program, formatting the Smartboard, or even finding a way to clear a jam in the printer. Technology is rapidly tightening its grip on education and those teachers whom are a part of older, more traditional generations will eventually be stuck behind the eightball. The teaching profession is essentially one generation passing their knowledge down to another, so why can that not work in reverse to close that ever present generation gap?
The generation gap is something that will always exist because the youth of any society will constantly be introduced to new ideas or ways of thinking/solving problems. However, technology can limit the size of that gap by requiring parents/grandparents to ask the youth for help; Which actually creates a sense of community among the different generations. The youth are so used to being reliant on their elders for help, a turn of the tables will be much appreciated!
In short, when grandma comments something “embarrassing” on one of your Facebook posts, don’t get mad, she’s just trying to keep in touch and keep up with the times!
Duggan, M. (2015). The Demographics of Social Media Users. Retrieved July 10, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/19/the-demographics-of-social-media-users
Mobile Technology Fact Sheet. (2013). Retrieved July 10, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/mobile-technology-fact-sheet/
Total population by child and adult populations | KIDS COUNT Data Center. (n.d.). Retrieved July 10, 2016, from http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/99-total-population-by-child-and-adult#detailed/1/any/false/869,36,868,867,133/39,40,41/416,417