Since my mom joined Skype our long-distance conversations shifted from me discussing my weekly course load to me giving instructions on transferring files and making smiley faces. As this transition has been anything but smooth, it makes me fear the expanding generational gap in technology usage.
A recent infographic by PSFK showed a difference of only 23% in Internet activity between users in the 18-29 age group and those in the 50-64 age group. These stats, however, fluctuate as one adds factors such as education level and location.
Based on my age, education and current location, for instance, I fall in the most active Internet usage group. My parents, on the other hand, are placed in the opposite category, that of most dormant Web users. What exactly does this mean for us as humans? An expanding communication gap as a result of totally different lifestyles.
Each morning during my summer vacation, for instance, I would check Skype to make plans for the day. That was my way of coordinating with friends and scheduling meetings. My mom, however, perceived my behavior as irrational and unnecessary. Why would I tire my eyes sitting in front of the laptop during my break? Needless to say, our interactions suffered due to our different needs and habits.
Tech lingo has also limited my communication with people from my parents' generation. As my relatives are no native English speakers, I am constantly introducing to their vocabularies words like online, link and click. My family sometimes pretends to know what I am saying and other times gets frustrated with these "tech" terms.
It is a learning process, I tell myself, knowing that my parents will eventually pick up the new software and the lingo that comes with it. But then I wonder—what right do I have to ask of them to be as tech-savvy as people from my age group, eduction level and location?
Photo credit: elisfanclub