In 2002 I developed a couple of Power Point slides to show audiences the explosion in influences our nation had seen between those growing up just after World War II and the beginning of the new millennium.
At that time, the most critical impact was the beginning of digital technology. The most prominent of these was cellular phones. Not smart phones with all kinds of bells and whistles, just “dumb” phones with
which you could only make and answer calls. Since then, I have been adding at least one new technological development/influence every couple of months. Today the length of the original list has doubled.
Is it any wonder that parents, teachers, managers and others feel like they are competing for share of mind with the Millennial generation?
While I would be the last to begrudge young people their technology, I wonder constantly about the impacts, both positive and negative that it is having on their brain development, maturity, and critical thinking.
For the record, I have included below the original lists from 2002 and the ones that I am currently using in presentations. Ask yourself, “What can I do to mitigate the impact of technology that seems to be so all engrossing to those coming of age today?”
Matures (coming of age during the 1940’s and 1950’s)
Family Stories
Schools
Places of Worship
Radio
Billboards
Newspapers
Magazines
Movies
Neighbors
Millennials (coming of age in the 1990’s)
Family Stories
Schools
Places of worship
Radio
Billboards
Newspapers
Magazines
Movies
Neighbors
Television
Calculators
Portable Radios
Portable Tape Recorders
Cordless Phones
Personal Computers
Pagers
Cell Phones
Millennials (coming of age circa 2010)
Family Stories
Schools
Places of worship
Radio
Billboards
Newspapers
Magazines
Movies
Neighbors
Television
Calculators
Portable Radios
Portable Tape Recorders
Cordless Phones
Personal Computers
Pagers
Cell Phones
Global Positioning Technology
Menu-Driven Software Presentation Software
Digital still photography
Text Messaging
World Wide Web
Meta-Search Engines
Digital video photography
Electronic Shopping Carts
Video Phones
Global Positioning Systems
Swipe Technology
Downloadable Entertainment Mobisodes Cookies
Social Networking Sites
In-text Advertising
Blinks
Avatars
Motion Capture
Microblogging
Smart Phones
Deep Packet Inspection Go-Tags