As technology rapidly increases in the 21st century, many senior citizens feel left out. From the cassette tape in the early ‘90’s to present fiber optic connections and Blu-ray players, the gap of understanding between the old and the new has widely grown.
The most devious technological enemy of the geriatric is none other than the personal computer. Generally, old people will steer clear away from the PC like they do rap music. Some elderly people only know how to turn on the PC, and beyond that they are at a total loss. They press every key with surgical precision and care like a high-stakes bomb disposal specialist. God forbid should they press a wrong key””the motherboard may explode and release toxic neurologic chemicals! Even basic functions like word processors and spreadsheets are treated as rocket science to the children of past generations.
Similar to the PC, the Internet is a source of confusion for the old. The most commonly asked about site is Facebook, and for the younger generation, questions from their parents and grandparents about its functionality never cease.
I present a solution for those unfortunate young people in this predicament. Remember when you were young and your parents lied to you about Santa Claus? Remember all those hours toiling in the kitchen, baking cookies for the jolly old man, in the hopes of getting a BB gun? And in the morning, inside the biggest box there was NOT a pony, but rather a new shovel and your mom told you to go play with it outside? Well, we are older now, and how the tables have turned! Yes mom, Facebook knows everything! It knows when you are sleeping, it knows when you’re awake… it’s the ultimate Doomsday Book.
When the elderly discover a way to operate social networking sites like Facebook, they are immediately compelled to add their children to their “friends” list. I don’t care how old you are, having your parent doing the same thing as you, such as have a Facebook profile, automatically makes it uncool. Having your mom or dad on your friends list makes you lose your “street cred.” There is a certain sense of awkwardness when your parent asks you to become their virtual friend and asks you for your screen name. There is absolutely no un-awkward way of telling your mom that your screen name is “The_Italian_Stallion87.”
Not all old people are the same. Stemming from the vast pool of the aged arise those few who possess an unnatural ability to understand technology. Like “daywalkers” branching from “gingers,” these people are indeed a rare breed.
From cassette tapes to Blu-ray, there have been many changes in tech over the years. In making light of the conflicts between the old and the new and pointing out the humor, we have more understanding of the situation. It is said that laughter is the best medicine, and through humor we can reveal the struggles faced by the older generations. It is important to address this issue of generational difference and struggle, because in the near future, we will be the old ones, and our children and grandchildren will laugh at us for not knowing where to put a Flux Capacitor.