A close friend of our family's is about as resistant to change as they come. Although he is known for having a life almost completely free of technology, his most notorious moment was the time he visited his brother and family, and they had the opportunity to experience just how much he hates technology. While the relatives were all together in the living room catching up with each other, his niece and nephew proceeded to text friends, check their email, and keep up on social networking via their smart phones. Appalled by their misinterpreted disregard for what he was saying, he got up and walked right out the door. When questioned later about the event, he expressed his concern for the lack of respect, and claimed technology was destroying communication and family.
Although his actions seem slightly overdone, he does bring up an interesting question. What is social networking, and the mobility and accessibility of such, doing to our communication skills. Is it for the better? And what is the best way for older generations to react to these worldwide changes? It is easy to see that communication in general is increased with technology, but it can be argued that the quality diminishes with the increased ease, as well as our ability to communicate in traditional methods diminish.
This seems to be most apparent in younger generations. There are people from all demographics who accept change, and there are ones who resist it; but in the baby boomer generation there seems to be a higher contrast of these two types when compared to other groups.
This trend is not a single event, but a general movement in society that has a direct connection to social media. Alone, an idea is somewhat powerful. But a movement has a momentum and power that has the potential to grow and build, and become far more effective than any single event.
Often times we are so caught up with our technology and all the things we can do with it, that we overlook the negative effects. The inclination for so many people to resist these trends has only been exacerbated by the adoption of infinite ways to connect in social media environments. Don't take me wrong, I'm all for the swift implementation of all things social media, but in the same breath I insist that we all develop and maintain traditional communication skill; writing, grammar, etiquette, etc. With these as a foundation we will be prepared to add contemporary communication skills to our abilities.
Communication has changed so much that the rules are completely different, and the rate of change is increasing constantly. Like many forms of communication, it takes proper technique and method from all parties. So although there should be a certain level of tolerance and understanding form those who do not quite understand this social networking trend, those of us who are somewhat quicker in adopting these new methods should still remember the basics of proper communication, elderly respect, and general communication structure.
There is a fine balance between adopting new media, and the retaining of “old-fashion” means of communication. Although abstract to comprehend, this trend is far more powerful than any one single event. A through comprehension of this technology will prepare students of social media to anticipate upcoming changes and trends in social media.
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