Chapter 3 of Citizen Marketers, entitled “The Democratization of Everything”, covers a great deal of information regarding Web 2.0 being a “…multiple-way communication between Web-site owner and visitor, and visitors with other visitors.” This is in stark contrast to the “Web 1.0” model, in which the communication is passed one-way, from the content’s creator to the viewer, much like more traditional mediums (Newspapers, television, ext.). I found just about everything covered in this chapter to be, not just interesting, but exciting. However, it was what the authors, Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba, said regarding the younger generation that really sparked my interest. Quotes like, “Children are actively using personal music devices, digital cameras, and DVD players by the age of 7…” and, “Twice as many kids aged 4 to 14 owned personal music devices and digital cameras in 2005, while cell-phone ownership in the age group has shot up 50 percent since (2005).” made me take a moment to stop and think about how quickly our nation’s youth pickup these technologies and then surpass the generations in front of them in both know-how and creativity. It reminded me of a story a professor of mine once told to our class.
It was my first semester at St. Edward’s University and I was being taught Darwin’s theory of evolution by a Professor affectionately known as “Dr. Dave”. I can’t remember why, but one day he brought up his grandmother. He said that she was in her late 80’s and, bless her heart, simply could not comprehend that documents, pictures, ext. could be saved on the computer. She held the belief that once the computer was turned off, everything that was on it was lost for good. So, she felt it necessary to print everything out on paper. Dr. Dave told us that every year a different member of the family would take up the quest of getting grandma to understand the computer’s save function. And every year that family member would walk away defeated, their frustrated mumbling muffled by the sounds of grandma’s printer churning away in the other room. It’s been over four years since Dr. Dave shared that story with me, and yet I still remember it as if he had said it to me just moments ago. As for my recollection of the subject… Hmm, I know it had something to do with monkeys...
Anyway, I think this story stuck with me through all these years for two reasons. The first is that it’s adorable. The second is the fact that it forces me to ask myself a difficult question: “What kind of technology will I be unable to wrap my mind around as an old man? Could we really advance so quickly that I will not only fail to keep up with technology, but find myself unable to even comprehend it?” I’m not really sure. Sitting here in front of my computer as a 22 year old , it’s hard for me to even imagine myself as an elderly gentleman, becoming frustrated and perhaps even fearful of new emerging technologies. Could this really be my fate and if so, is there anything I can do to prevent it? After a bit more thought on the matter, I came to this conclusion: As long as I get to ride around on one of those Rascal Scooters, I don't really care.
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2 comments:
I know at 22 you may not be able to conceive of the notion that technology may pass you by. At 22, I didn't have a clue. Though I am not grandma's age, or even near it, I have been out of college for 5 years now and the rapid advancement of technology is exactly why I decided to return to school to take this class.
Five years ago, Social Media was not an option at SEU. Blogging was still very new, Facebook was still a baby. With so many "kids" on MySpace, most upper level college students weren't on it. Not to mention the late bloomers like me that started college in my mid-20s.
But Facebook has surpassed our expectations and professional sites like LinkedIn.com have brought many adults into the Social networking realm that otherwise would not have thought twice about signing up.
Your best bet to keep apprised of the current trends and not let technology pass you by is to listen to those who are younger than you. You can still be the "old guy on the scooter", but you'll probably have your MP3 player blasting in your hearing aid.
I can relate to Dr. Dave's experience with his grandmother. My grandmother shares a similar aversion to new technology. Although her aversion stems from a belief that all new technology is created by the government in order to monitor is citizens. She does have a brand new computer which she refuses to use and is adamant about keeping unplugged so she is not monitored by, and i quote, "that internet thing."
That being said, I do think you raise an interesting point. Will we 50 or 60 years down the line have similar aversions to new technologies. I am of the belief that we will not. Or if we do it would be minimal. I think the difference is our grandparent's generation has had no past experience with the type of technology we have today. The remote control wasn't even invented until 1955. Since our generation is familiar with these new technologies I think we will be more comfortable with new advances in the years to come. However, I would not know what to think if some completely new technology sprang up.
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