Older generations try to bridge the gap. Photo by Courtland Jeffrey.Keeping up with technology’s latest fads is nothing new for this generation. We have seen the change from the landline to the smartphone and birth of the Internet. While we have been trained to adapt in this field, previous generations are being forced into this culture that is alien to them.
We have all seen or tried to help our relatives, parents, aunts, uncles and even some grandparents, immerse themselves with today’s technology; it can get frustrating when something that comes so simply to you, is so hard to fathom for them. My mom and dad are two examples of this dilemma and since I am the go-to tech guy in the family, I hear the brunt of it.
Both parents feel forced into this technological society, with my mom, Natalie Jeffrey, saying, “You essentially cut yourself off from society [if you don’t use this technology].”
The question that first comes to my mind is, why in the world is it so difficult for your generation to figure new technology out? “One of the biggest problems is getting things so they all work together,” argued my mom, who frequently has technical issues switching from her computer to her smartphone to check email.
“Every little thing is different, every button means something different to different companies." Since the variety of apps allows for different app styles, the lack of uniformity only stretches the learning curve for my mom.
The topic of apps came up and my dad, John Jeffrey, sounds annoyed by them when he states, “Why am I still with Blackberry? It’s comfortable and I don’t need all of those apps.” My mom, on the other hand, loves some of her apps and interjected with “I could live without WordFeud (a Scrabble-like app) somehow.”
The technology conversation came to a close with topic of updating. My mom brought up a good point, saying, “It’s not that we don’t want the new technology, it is just that we do not want to reteach ourselves all over again.”
“It’s nice to master a feature, you know how to utilize it, but once it changes, you feel lost again,” my dad says.
I could see that my parents had emotion behind their opinions, as their tones and overall demeanor changed to show their passion. The detail that stood out to me by the end of our conversation was that my 13-year-old sister, Alyvia Jeffrey, was snickering the entire time. Her reaction to everything that was said pulled me out of the situation. This generation takes for granted what other generations do not have; they have the inherent ability to conform to new technology without much difficulty, while the other generations are not prepared for it.
If you have any thoughts on the generational technology divide, message me on Twitter @Court_Jeffrey or email me at cejeffre@asu.edu. Good luck!
