As I mentioned in an earlier post, I used to LOVE getting my grandparents to talk about when they were kids. They both grew up in Toledo, Ohio near the turn of the last century, and their stories mesmerized me. It was an era I was totally unfamiliar with, and the picture the history books painted for me paled in comparison to the first-hand view I received from my grandparents.
There have always been generational gaps, but it seems like that gap has widened measurably today. Students don’t understand the world their parents and grandparents grew up in, and I think most folks from the older generation have felt completely lost trying to communicate with the younger generation.
Then along came Facebook.
I have heard it said that the fastest growing group on FB is women over the age of 55….and my kids live there! I have Facebook friends that are almost 80, and some that are 12. (Sorry, FB age requirement.) I think I could make a pretty strong case that Facebook may be the most multi-generational platform ever created….online or off. My questions is…is it “inter-generational”, and by that I mean, do the generations communicate with each other?
There is so much to be learned by communicating across generational lines. Both young and old can learn by listening, engaging…..really connecting. Perhaps in this age of social networking we can see some barriers begin to come down, and in the conversation that follows, we’ll see the richness we’ve missed by being in our generational silos.
Thoughts? Observations?
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My friend Karlene liked my mother more than she liked me. I think Betty sometimes preferred Mother to me. I dated a guy once who wouldn’t leave the kitchen when Mom was in it and while I was tapping my foot in the entry ready to get on with our date, I could hear them laughting. I’m not saying Mom and I didn’t like each other….but we sure weren’t friends when I was young. I couldn’t figure out what my friends saw in her. Maybe if we’d had Facebook and could have shared our thoughts in writing I wouldn’t have noticed that her eyes always rolled back in her head when I thought I was saying something important. My sons and I write AND talk and I am friends with a couple of kids both related and unrelated. It’s an easier time. My mother was Mrs. Edellstein to everyone….even neighbors older than she. There’s something to be said for first names. And if I wanted to drive her crazy I’d call her by her childhood nickname in public. Mugsy. It made her look me in the eye. And sometimes that’s a good thing.
That IS a good thing, and I think you’re right….more connection is better, no matter the medium. Great insights!!