Jan
19
This is the third and final part of my three part series of blog posts about communication. Thanks for reading, and feel free to weigh in at the comments sections of these posts, or on Twitter.
Divide? What Divide?
You may have heard the term “digital divide” before, in fact, you may be quite familiar with it. For those who are not, it is the concept that there are certain generations and age groups who are more familiar with things like cell phones, texting, Twitter, Facebook, etc, and there are some who are not familiar with them at all. Hence, there is a “divide” of sorts between the two groups who are using to vastly different methods of communication, with a variety of things potentially getting lost in the process.
It Really Exists
It is in a many ways hard to understand that this exists. After all, texting is the preferred form of communication for almost everyone now. Twitter is being used so actively on major outlets such as ESPN that it is almost mind boggling, and everyone has a Facebook. We all have the dad or perhaps uncle who has a Facebook profile, but has absolutely no idea how to use it. The most their friends on Facebook can expect out of them is a post once in a while that is probably in all capital letters. For some of us, that is our parents.
For people who aren’t on Twitter, they don’t get it at all. Popular culture doesn’t seem to help these cases, as well…
While Jon Stewart’s sketch might be funny, this is unfortunately how many people view Twitter, and in fact, many new, social, communicative services. The fact is, these services in many ways wind up deciding for themselves whether they are, or will remain the “next big thing.” Ask anyone under 30 to recall a social network or profile-type service of some sort that they’re no longer on, or no longer active on, and I assure you, they will be able to recall at least one. At the rate they die out, the new concepts are studied, and new services and features are added.
The Divide; Coming to a City Near You
The fact is, while my generation feels more connected than it ever has, the divide is coming for us. Rest assured, Gen X, there will be a day that Twitter integrates something that we don’t get, or a new product does something we don’t understand. If you need an example, just take a look at the number of people that still don’t have Facebook’s new Timeline feature, or watch how many people gripe when Facebook changes the slightest thing. Rest assured, we won’t always be as connected and understanding of society and culture as we are today.
