The Internet and the Generation Gap

The difference between generations varies depending largely on the culture and ideologies that define them. The political world of Generation X helped to mold the minds of those born during the 1960’s and 70’s. Generation Y was known as the first generation to really age with increasing knowledge in developing technologies. The latest age group, those born since the early 1990’s, is no exception. The children that compromise this “Generation Z” have lived their entire lives with the internet and incredibly advanced computers and phones.


It is an interesting notion that some teenagers at present were not alive without cell phones. As a child of the 1980’s, I can remember the importance of phone booths and beepers. There was a stark moment of realization when I realized what a simple beeper could do. Suddenly code numbers became must-know information. It was a way to be cool. It was a way to communicate secret information; everyone who was anyone knew the language – except parents. It’s in this sense that I can sympathize with the kids growing up today. I realize the fears and worries of parents feeling helpless in a fast evolving world that they have little to no control over. Child predators are real and they will not go away, but children for better or worse are using this technology that they have grown with as a way of expressing themselves and rebelling in their youth.



My sympathies end short of total internet endorsement, however, as the technology that teenagers posses now seems to be both their identity and their crutch. It seems impossible to walk through a city, mall or college campus without colliding with someone whose head is buried in their iPhone. Spending endless hours on Facebook updating your status and clicking through pictures is a waste of time bordering on sloth. In my neighborhood, there is rarely a stickball game and fields that seem of perfect length for a soccer pitch stay abandoned.

Please do not get me wrong, I see the positives of this internet age. Information at your fingertips really means a wealth of knowledge sitting right at your desk. It just appears that the web is having the opposite effect; it is driving a wedge between groups of people. Older generations acknowledge the internet as a tool which, when used effectively, yields information and power. Today’s teens see nothing but an escape and a way to maintain constant media stimulation.