Bridging the Generational Gap

Perhaps the reason I am so drawn to study the research on Gen Z is related to the fact that never experiencing motherhood, there was the absence of witnessing the gradual changes that occur every day with one’s own children; therefore what I detected in the college classroom appeared to be a dramatic change. Or, perhaps I have reached that certain age where all adults look confused at the actions of the emerging generation and wonder which planet was their birthplace; however, my sincere hope is that the motivation is a deeper desire to develop a Habit of Awareness which includes others and bridges the generational gap. Because I have noticed a few commonalities among the generations, I offer there are more issues that unite rather than divide.

Allow me to offer this picture drawn for us in The Gen Z Effect, which was introduced in previous posts, “…most of us have been in conversations in which a question arises that nobody present can answer. In that instant, the line between who is and who is not a member of Gen Z is immediately drawn on who reaches for a smartphone to query Google, Bing, or Yahoo for the answer.” Personally, experiencing this illustration many times, I offer that the members of Gen Z who reach for their smartphone are as likely to be a Screenager as a Digital Senior (a term coined by Forrester Research), which demonstrates an ageless trait they have in common. Just be prepared for the Screenager to have the answer before the Digital Senior can remember their password and find the browser. But on the flip side, the Digital Senior has enough life experience to filter the answers and pshaw the inaccurate responses. Once again, I think this example provides another sound reason for creating intergenerational relational equity!

Koulopoulos and Keldsen describe this concept that has allowed more seasoned generations to bridge the gap with the current one as “slingshotting.” Their definition of slingshotting is “the accelerating force of innovation that moves technology forward to the point where those on the slow side of the technology adoption curve (the ‘laggards’) effectively skip multiple generations of technology and instead arrive in the same future with those who suffered through technology’s painful evolution.” Now, screenagers and digital seniors share similar devices where us Gen Xers had to painfully move from texting on Blackberries to finally the iPhone. Or consider the drastic changes in sharing a home video from “a long, drawn-out, expensive, and complex process to one that has almost no steps aside from point, shoot, and share on a single ‘connected’ device.”

Returning to one of my favorite quotes from The Gen Z Effect, “You can be born into it or you can choose to be part of it. The Gen Z Effect is what happens when the simplicity and affordability of technology unites generations more than it divides them.” Bridging the generational gap might be an act as simple as communicating with one another through a social media platform, or it could manifest itself in the deep work of producing a healthy philosophy towards digital media that allows emerging generations to flourish rather than flounder when navigating the complicated social world without life experiences as a necessary framework for good decision-making. Regardless of whether you were born into Gen Z or you choose to be a member, I suggest embracing technology and allowing it to be the bridge that connects generations together.

Please feel free to share any comments about how you see others successfully Bridging the Generational Gap in the area below.

Reference:

Koulopoulos, T. & Keldsen, D. (2016). Gen Z effect: The six forces shaping the future of business. Routlege.