The convenient method of distinguishing generations by a separation of 18 to 25 years, and attributing distinct characteristics to those generations, whether they are termed Baby Boomers, Generation Y, or Millennials, no longer serves as a benchmark to capture and separate the personality of any particular generation.

1. Measuring Generations through
Involvement with Technology
BY
http://isaacsonseries.com/

2. The convenient method of distinguishing generations by a separation of 18 to
25 years, and attributing distinct characteristics to those generations, whether
they are termed Baby Boomers, Generation Y, or Millennials, no longer serves
as a benchmark to capture and separate the personality of any particular
generation. Until recent years, we helped identify generations through their
musical tastes, the “Greatest Generation,” that bridged the Great Depression
and World War 11, with big band music, Baby Boomers with classic rock, and
Millennials, in part, with Hip Hop. We now live in an era where the constantly
evolving state of technology has come to shape and reshape the daily habits
and perceptual apparatus of succeeding groups of youth. Just watch a
YouTube video capturing the puzzlement displayed by current 6 to 14-year olds
(Generation Z) when confronted with a Sony Walkman. To Generation Z
members, the technology of the 1980’s looks more like artifacts belonging in the
Smithsonian Museum. To a six-year old today, dial-up access to the Internet
would seem like a retreat to the Dark Ages. A person of 50 might recall dial-up
days as an annoyance, but at the time of initial use, a portal to a magical
treasure trove of information.

3. The shrinking spacing of generations, increasingly demarcated by the adoption
technology, is illustrated by the historical timeline that demonstrates how long it
took one quarter of the American population to acquire the dominate emerging
technology. It took 46 years for one-quarter of the population to acquire
electricity. It took 36 years for the same portion of the population to own a
telephone. Consider the time gap between the invention of the telegraph and
radio. By contrast, between 2011 and 2013, 56% of Americans had acquired a
smartphone. A child born after 2000 was likely reared in a residence with
computers, mobile phones, and Wi-Fi. The methods that preteens and teens
use to contact one another and access entertainment are so vastly different
from those of Baby Boomers that their means are viewed as a much better
barometer for future trends. Consider that young teens spend merely 2% of
messaging time using email. Adults allocate 33% of message time doing so.

4. The rapid fragmentation of new generations is evidenced by the impending succession
of smartphones to wearables. Now factor the inevitable evolution to technology
implanted in the human body, a phenomenon that makes more dramatic McLuhan’s
connection of the computer and the human brain.
While this blog intends to outline the increasing digital divide and redefinition of what
constitutes a generation, my next blog will address methods that can bring generations
together through shared and meaningful modes of communication.

5. The Magic Museum, The Isaacson Series in Youth Literature - An
enchanting children's book that tells the story of a 12-year old
skateboarder (Jack) and a ballerina (Jacqueline) who whispers to him
from an Edgar Degas painting in a fine arts museum. A wonderful way
for parents to introduce fine art and engage children (ages 8 to 12 years
old) in the art of visual storytelling and imagination.
For More Information on The Magic Museum Book, visit -
http://www.isaacsonseries.com