Generational Interviews

I interviewed my 22 year old roommate, my mom who is in her mid to late 40s, and my grandma who is in her 80s. The three generations shared few similarities. My roommate uses the internet to download music, connect with friends, check grades and assignments, find answers to questions he has, and follow sports. My mom uses the internet to check email and work from home when need be. My grandma has never been connected to the internet and is more familiar with typewriters. My buddy is completely comfortable with the internet, and my mom says she is as well even though she probably isn’t. My opinion is that she wants to feel technologically competent so she tells me she is. My grandma told me she doesn’t see any use in ever messing with the internet.
Technology has definitely changed my mom as well as my friend’s lives. My roommate can find whatever information he wants with little effort and my mom can work from home and stay in contact with others through email. My grandma has not been overly affected by technology and continues to listen to Mariner games on the radio. If we count radio as technology then her life has changed, for without the radio she would spend more time sewing or gardening.
The easiest interpretation of technological change is that advancements have improved our lives. Accessing information at a faster and easier fashion has improved my roommate’s knowledge, and bringing work home has made my mom’s life more convenient. If technology was negative in their eyes then they would be less likely to participate in using the internet. Their opinions on technology can be biased because they are involved in the matter. My roommate likes the internet, but sees the technology as standard due to a lifetime of experience with the technology. My mom raves about how she is able to finish her work at home and in the process can skip a day of going to work. Grandma Millie likes her radio and four channels on television just fine.
The youngest generation is spoiled. We remember the sounds of dial-up, but the awful screeching sounds have been the worst of our technological experience. The 36-60 generation values the internet much more than the youngest generation, and people like my mom believe they have a good handle on how to use the technology. The oldest generation in some cases want nothing to do with the internet.
I see the relationship with old people and the internet being like a person 40 yards away from a MAX train that has just arrived. The person has two choices – to make the effort to run and hopefully make the train, or realize they won’t make it in time and continue walking. For older people technological advancements such as the internet take a great deal of effort to master and understand. Does the 70 year old want to adopt the internet and deal with the learning curve, or do they see the MAX as unimportant and continue to live their normal lives?
Postman explains that in technopoly people think that only through the autonomy of techniques can a person achieve one’s goals. Older people are accustomed to their regular way of life. The internet and other technological advancements only interfere with their life goals. We as society feel as though technological advancements are great, especially because the word advancement is usually used a positive thing. The generational gaps provide insight to different groups’ priorities. The youngest generation has lived with the internet since its birth and will continue to do so. The middle generation caught the internet with enough time to adopt but probably generally have less of a skill set in using the internet. The older generation has lived too long to adopt the internet, and have done fine without the internet for several years.
As a society are we a slave to our surroundings? Do you think there are 20 year olds in the U.S. that have never used the internet? I believe our society lives by their generation, with each age group sharing a unique bond. I also believe that the differences between generations also expose technology’s impact on society.

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