Thursday, February 28, 2008
In those times our professors like to call “the good old days,” record albums and mother’s spiral cord landlines were the new technologies available to keep a kid in touch with the world.
Today, new technology like cell phones and iPods keep us constantly in touch with each other and popular culture.
It would be foolish to view these differences in black and white terms because every new generation breeds new technology and ideas, but I have seen professors who would rather not see it this way.
It’s as though they prefer to use the glory of the past as a platform to justify refusing this generation’s technology, and on top of that, poke fun at us for using what is most convenient fur us.
A charismatic teacher I had the privilege of taking a class from twice made comments about the generation gap between him and his students.
That makes me wonder if he, seeing me listening to my iPod, doesn’t respect me.
He is intelligent, witty and engaging, and he has spoken to us as if our minds are so inundated with thoughts of what Hot-100 single to download to our cell phones. It’s no wonder that we don’t understand where some of his thoughts are coming from.
If music is mentioned, the professor is sure to reference vinyl as something we must have only heard about from stories of our parents’ childhoods.
Although I like to fancy myself an analog girl (I know there are many of you who do just this), I keep my ears and soul warm on campus with the help of my chunky Sony stereo headphones and trusty iPod.
It is simple to let pride take over and assume that teachers making these references are surely not talking to you.
Whether you have a record collection or have only seen one at a garage sale, records are still visible to our generation.
But we are lying to ourselves if we cling to items like records that symbolize the beauty of the past and deny that we live in an age where technology like cell phones and computers have become so widely used that we see them as essentials.
Just like landline telephones and microwaves, cell phones and computers are inventions that we can survive without.
But they have become tools that are seen as necessary to function in our increasingly public and fast-paced society.
We should not be ashamed of this.
In the case of cell phones, they are more commonly used among kids and young adults who live in an incredibly social world where people want to know what’s cool, where people are going and how to get where they want to go.
Established adults don’t necessarily live asocial lives, but they do not invite constant communication in matters of minor dramatics or purposeless 2 a.m. calls.
This is where the gap lies, not in our knowledge of the trophies and trinkets of the past, but in the way that our age group has utilized new technology.
My intention is not to glorify the exorbitant use of cell phones seen in class and around campus, but rather to say that we are not uncool for owning and using technology for which professors may deride us.
It may be in style to nod to the past by buying records and scoffing at cell phone use, but cell phones and other recent technology give our generation options that help us not only meet more people and see more places.
They help us work more efficiently in managing school, work and extracurricular activities that require communication and organization.
As long as it is not always pressed to your cheek directly before and after class, don’t let a professor take a stab at you for the use of your cell phone.
Cultural inconsistencies in the generation gap survive, but the silly and critical comments about the technology of our generation are getting old.
Ryan is a Salina junior in art history.
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Comments
Ryan: Young generation respects old technology
I will get a cell phone as soon as they can do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX-gTo... -JS
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