It happens all the time. Some new technology or application comes out , it catches on like wildfire and then someone in the media writes an article about the technology being “for the young”. Then about 18 months later the technology becomes more mainstream and an article is written about “baby boomers” using the technology , platform or application.
The shock of it all. 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 year olds using a social network ? Sending Text messages ? Bowling on a Wii ? Who knew ?
It seems like thoee who write these articles think all of the baby boomers and their parents were asleep over the last 25 years. Did they not notice the PC revolution? Could anyone miss the IBM Charlie Chaplin ads 25 years ago ? Did they never quite manage to figure out what that modem in their home pc was designed to do ? Even if it came with free software to test and try The Source, CompuServe, Prodigy, AOL and others ?
Technology. Digital Communications. They are not new. They are not news. They are old news. But thats not what is interesting about these articles.
What is interesting to me is not that articles are written showing surprise that the geriatric generation and their kids are going online , despite the protests of their grandkids. What is interesting to me is how few in the media, regardless of platform, be it TV, Newspaper, magazine , blogger or twitterer, have more than a rudimentary knowledge of the history of the technologies we are using.
There seems to be some delusion that all technology and applications are new. Invented from a cloudburst with no historical context. That as new, the technology is the province of the young, with anyone over 29 too old to understand and too confused to actually use it.
If it were up to those in the media, the new phase for high school and college kids today would be
“Never friend anyone over 29”
In this day and age, 25 years post the first IBM PC, pretty much everyone is able to adapt to, accept and become accomplished with consumer technologies.
Your granddad is going to want to be your friend, text or IM you and get a GPS enabled phone.. Get used to it.
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Thank you for this. I\’m a seventeen year old girl, and while I recognize the dangers of creepers and weirdos stalking the wilds of the internet jungle for members of my demographic I\’m disgusted and discouraged by the inablity of my peers to recognize people outside of their age group as remotely human. I have a diverse group of friends, and this doesn\’t mean I have the token black, Jewish, and gay acquaintances. This means that some of my close friends are from entirely different backgrounds and age groups. There is no magic line you cross when you hit thirty five that makes you a pedophile for even making friendly small talk with someone younger. sorry for the ramble. sheesh.
Comment by Olivia Stevens -
It\’s funny to see the word \”friend\” used as a verb. Great points, though. I am 38 and my parents are the ones who got me excited about technology.
Dana McCall
Comment by Dana -
A very self-important college freshman attending a recent football game, took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen sitting next to him why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation.
\”You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one,\”the student said, loud enough for many of those nearby to hear. \”The young people of today grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon, our spaceships have visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers with DSL, bsp; light-speed processing ….and,\” pausing to take another drink of beer….
The Senior took advantage of the break in the student\’s litany and said, \”You\’re right, son. We didn\’t have those things when we were young….. so we invented them. Now, you arrogant little s–t, what are you doing for the next generation?\”
The applause was resounding..
Why do Mark Cuban and many respondents here so resemble this college freshman? Oh yes, the self importance factor! Like this will last on the comments section!
Comment by Scott Trant -
live chat and friends cam love
Comment by murat ozdemir -
First I would love it if I could get any one of my family over 30 to use the internet at all. I have one using email and that is it.
Second I think its useful to advertisers to have these people online. They are influential in their community and can be useful for bringing in new information into their community. Like how great the new sprite which is tactfully implanted into their head by the Coke Widget. That can only make things more interested.
James Bird
http://www.hiswayofchange.com
Comment by James Bird -
Well said Mark. I bought my mother a laptop for her 87th birthday. She has had it for over a year and she is on it several hours a day, including FB. My entire family is wired with webcams, Messenger, and Skype. It is how we keep in touch now.
Keep posting Mark.
Curtis
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Comment by coolgames -
Ahhhhh Mark,
Here I am pushin\’ 70, and having been part of the digital revolution since it\’s beginning. I have been an electronics/digital tech since I was 17. I started my young aspirations as a grade school kid interested in the \”new\” technology, it was an era of vacuum tube amplifiers and the first glimpse into the start of solid state devices, the transistor, diodes of all sizes and voltages.. Twas a heady time to live, the magic of the electron still captivates me. I knew that the only education that I would be able to afford was in the military, and the US Navy had a head\’s up electronics technician school and I took advantage of it and of any schools I could that would further my knowledge in this field. I grew with the technology, advancing in analog, and digital technology, learning comm and radar equipments, muxes, ssb, crypto, and finally into computers. I used the internet, when it was between the universities, government, and the computer corporations… I have been fortunate to have lived in this magic world… I would love to see what my grandson\’s grandsons will see and understand in their time…
I still trust a lot of the younger generation, It\’s just that I know the history and the knowledge that developed the tools we use today, and marvel at the speeds in which we have progressed. Many of you weren\’t even born, when the headlines shouted the news on The Eniac the very first computer. I was in grade school then and to this day still remember that event as if it were yesterday. I envy you that are in your 20\’s today, you will probably see breakthru\’s in technology that will totally change the way you compute, communicate, and even do your work..
Hell, I couldn\’t stop the past, and finally learned that I can\’t slow the future either… But I did move to Tahiti, where I can recharge my humanity, and balance my axis…
You go Mark! Bravo Zulu
Just this old chief\’s 2
Comment by Ken Jackson -
\”What is interesting to me is how few in the media, regardless of platform, be it TV, Newspaper, magazine , blogger or twitterer, have more than a rudimentary knowledge of the history of the technologies we are using.\”
Exactly. Thank you!!!!
Comment by John -
This piece of information comes as a surprise to pretty much everyone because media has constructed it that way. In a sense, media has been responsible for feeding us images of grandparents stuck in time when in reality, it is not impossible to find an updated old guy. Honestly, I\’m not used to the idea either but it\’s there. Just think of the future when we ourselves have grand children.
Comment by jen_chan, writer SureFireWealth.com -
As a young person I think this idea is ludicrous. Who do you think taught me to use computers/the Internet/technology? My parents. What bothers me most is that companies think they have to hire young people to fill their tech and graphic design positions and act accordingly. Part of it is paying a cheaper wage to the less experienced worker, but part of it is some odd mindset that you have to be young to be cutting edge when it comes to new media, which is not true. In fact I happen to think a lot of young folks working in the new media field have a real lack of skill and taste, mostly because we grew up with such ridiculousness as AOL and MySpace.
Comment by j -
Well, what is our media or what is their true agenda…is it not sell, sell, sell! Unfortunately, most all of our media is not true media at all. Its a form of advertising for the best paying companies to get access to the world consumers. Our media writer\’s view, history, thoughts is all biased towards our wallets and their customer\’s deep pockets. Hence, what they write and what we read makes no real sense. They do know the history of technology, and much much more, but they choose to conveniently forget about it, and they have gotten so bold as to even drive their consumer base to believe their biased views and statistics that is made up to the benefits of the companies paying them.
Comment by Mitchell -
\”Never friend anyone over 29\” is foolish. These social networks provide such great opportunity to meet and learn from people who have far more life experience than these young people.
By following this rule, they are, yet again, shutting themselves off from a variety of opportunities they may have.
Any person out there is a great opportunity for a connection, whether it be business, academic or just social.
Oh, and my mom is on facebook, runs her own webpage and sends thousands of texts a month. And my grandfather is no better!
Comment by Piotr Jakubowski -
I am 47 years old and I have been working on computers for close to 20 years. I do like playing computer games online, I am not into the on line social networking like myspace andface book. I have had the internet before most people knew what it was. I used to spend time on BBC\’s. I actually miss those.My sone has a degree in computer science and I still have to show him how to od things.
Comment by Rick Carter -
actually,sir, alot of my professors at school are getting facebook…they say it\’s an easier way to connect with students…
Comment by Julie -
It is annoying. Particular as I drop out of the 20-29 bracket at midnight tonight.
I guess I better stop blogging, working on websites, and using social networks. Still, I\’ll have more time to worry about the state of my lawn and the way young people behave these days…
Comment by Badger Gravling -
Interesting post Mark! I totally agree with what you\’re saying. The older generations are really the ones responsible for technology as we know it today. For some reason that seems to be forgotten.
Comment by Toy Deal -
Well, I\’m 33, and I\’m first generation Internet. Web 1.0 , if you will. So, anyone older than me was born too early, and really doesn\’t get it, although, I usually don\’t ride them about it. Everyone younger than me, are like my little brothers and sisters, they sorta get it, and are getting more of it, all the time. So, if that helps any…:)
rod of futurelight
Comment by rod sandcones -
I\’m 52 and my niece is 27. She knows how to use computers, and ipods etc, but if anything goes wrong, she is clueless. They have never had to fix stuff. Simple, I\’ve been using computers and technology for 27 years, all her life.
Comment by George -
SINCE WHEN IS IT NOT OK TO BE SOCIABLE WHEN YOU ARE OVER 29?? THAT IS OBSERD!!! SO ANYONE OVER 29 IS JUST STUPID?? CAN\’T UNDERSTAND \”NEW TECHNOLOGY?\” WOW!!!! YOU SURE DON\’T LOOK LIKE YOU ARE UNDER 29?? HOW SMART ARE YOU REALLY????
Comment by marsha mayo -
Geeze. I guess as a 41-year-old who uses all these technologies daily, I\’m left out in the cold.
Good thing I still have a whole bunch of people over 30 who do the same.
Oh, and look, I\’ve got people younger than that too that I communicate with via the same tools.
IOW, what are you talking about?
I just heard a story the other day about how people 40 and up make up the bulk of Facebook users. So what if it\’s not the newest kid on the block?
Much ado about nothing, if you ask me.
Comment by Martian T -
all this tech stuff takes a lot of time. I\’m personally addicted to the internet, while my 75 year old father wouldn\’t know how to power up a computer. There are advantages both ways, but deep down I think he\’s winning something here. Also I know a 91 year old guy who has a much greater understanding of the gizmos and gadgets than me and I\’m 44.
Comment by Rick -
Welll I reemeemmber wheeenn… I walked 15 miles to school in 10 feet of snow with no shoes…
What is this ??? Whhheeezzze. Its sounding like we\’re giving up the geriatric ghost…
You are so right on the button with the disease of blind ignorance afflicting so many in the tech field. They\’re just suffering or making us suffer.
But one would think, especially in todays online world, all inclusive with RFID toilet paper and bluetooth enabled flushes, kids in school that have all the information in the world at their finger tips would have a better grasp of some recent history, or even current events.
Not true.
Why you may ask… It goes back to the basics, the insidious specter in education. Look at universities, every 101 class repeats the same old mind numbing exercises over and over, semester after semester. All based on the flawed premise of \”they need ALL the basics\” which is not always true.
Were really missing the boat in this area. Knowledge and information is a tool, not the goal. Using knowledge is the fuel of kinetics. You dont need to be auto engineer or a machinist to drive a car. Knowledge needs to be treated the same way.
If, just if, universities leveraged portion of the knowledge gained from each semester into the subsequent, where would we be today ? Reinventing the wheel, time and time again ?
Got a bit off topic
Maybe Ill start looking for one of these new analog computers I hear they have some new technology called vacuum tubes.
Comment by xfer_rdy -
My mantra when I was a kid was never trust anyone over 30, it wasn\’t an original thought at the time, Abbie Hoffman might have penned it when I was a freshman in high school. Back in the day we thought our parents generation were stuck in the 50\’s, things like enviornmental concern were alien to them as were computers. I remember my first Radio Shack computer (it looked like a chubby iMac)and the prodigy/ compuserv days well and I was not at tec kid per say, an early adopter at best
.
I think the big difference now is that computing and the net enable personal creativity and communications like never before and unless you spend a lot of time in the new world you can\’t understand it. The assumption is that people over 30 aren\’t digg ing around, dancing the newest dance.
Mark, thanks for pointing out the forgotten context that so many reporters forget.. while the hair might get gray some heads never get any older than 29!
Comment by Arthur -
Thanks so much for pointing this out. It is great to see that blogging and web technology is being used by people of every generation!
Comment by Mike Westwood -
Mark,
Although I agree with your post I don\’t think what you wrote only pertains to technology. Since you are the owner of the Mavs – let take sports as another example. How many rookies this year in the NBA are over 29? I\’m 37 and 6\’2 and have an excellent 3-PT FG rating but I guess I am too old to really know anything or be capable of doing anything – as a matter of fact I can hardly pick up a basketball anymore, my 3-PT FGs shots only go about 3 feet in front of me now, dunking – well I am afraid of falling and breaking a hip and I have to get on my scooter to ride up and down the court these days. I guess all these young \”whippersnappers\” can just run laps around me!! LOL 🙂 So I do agree with you but technology is not the only area where anyone over 29 is discriminated against!!
James
Comment by James -
Mark, I think you hit one point (the existence of ageism), but on the other hand you don\’t give enough credit to the cultural differences developed when one group grows up with a technology and develops habits and cultural values around its usage.
Sure, my grandparents may want to friend me, but their use and understanding of SoNets is totally different than the Millennial Generation\’s.
For instance, my grandparents didn\’t learn how to date on FB. Many kids nowadays do. That has HUGE implications that deserve attention with respect to your argument. Think of the subtleties implied within that one small example…
Cheers,
Devin
http://nost.radam.us
Comment by devin holloway -
Ya I like your basic premise. These knew technologies arn\’t all that new they are just extensions and modernization of technologies that are older. Phones have been around longer than I have cell phones are just a better phone. Computers have been around forever they are just getting better.
Comment by John -
Technology is the fourth socioeconomic revolution in human history.
1. Hunting & Gathering
2. Agriculture
3. Industry
4. Technology
In order to stay relevant in the 21st century you must embrace technology. Young people are more adaptive to new processes and technology. Take a look at who Google is hiring, nobody under the age 29, good point Cuban. Go Mavs
Comment by Brett -
I just set up voip for my dad, he is learning to use gmail, and my inlaws do play Wii bowling. I\’d say older people are doing quite well with some of these technologies.
Comment by Paul -
As someone in his early fifties who has a 7 digit ICQ number that has not been used in more than 5 years, who remembers when WBS was the best way to meet people on the net, and who understands that there is really no anonymity in anything you do over the internet, I laugh at the way so many people, old and young, share too much information about themselves over the web. I pretty well check my kids myspace and facebook sites to see what they are up to … as for doing either for myself, I rather keep most of my life to myself and those I actually meet in person.
Comment by Tiger -
There have been a lot of annoying articles lately about old people joining facebook with titles like \”Looking for Friends.\” Oh, wow, you joined Facebook! That\’s so interesting you should write about it! But, hey, if you have friends in real life, you already have Facebook friends, cuz they\’re the same people. But, I guess if you\’re 40 you won\’t have Facebook friends since 40 years olds don\’t know how to use Facebook so they won\’t find each other.
Comment by Sports Blog -
I find myself having a mixed reaction to this. I\’m in my mid-40s. Graduated HS in 1980. Played Atari games in the late 70s. Was a computer science major in college. Worked in the field throughout the 80s. Then realized I was more interested in people than in programs, so I switched my career mode. But I\’ve always been an early adopter of technology. Had a laptop – TI – in 1991. Had the first generation smart phone. Well, an early adaptor of sorts.
I must admit I watch my step-children with their constant IM\’ing – when walking, reading, talking with someone in their presence. I haven\’t taken to the IM or chat technologies at all. I have a cell phone that I use judiciously, mostly for safety reasons for my 8 y.o. daughter. It\’s a great way to keep communications flowing as a separated parent.
My issue isn\’t with the technology, though. It\’s with the way it has impacted socializing. When I see 4 people at a lunch table, all on the cell phone or IM\’ing someone else, I wonder, \”Why aren\’t they focused on the people they\’re with?\” Must all interactions be mediated by technology? And do we need such constant ongoing interaction? What about really nurturing a few good live in-person friends? People don\’t have birthday parties for their kids in their homes anymore. I was recently told that hosting a group in my home wasn\’t \”community\”. I\’m doing it anyway and it\’s going well, but her comment was not isolated.
So, perhaps this part of it is \”generational\”. Perhaps not. I email my dad often. He sends me digital photos. I have a blog. (though not about the intimacies of my personal life.) I like the idea of having a place for my family and friends who are not local to be able to check out what\’s going on in my life. So, I\’ve just signed up for FB. (I was resistant.) Still, I think in my step-kid\’s eyes, I\’m an old fogie in the ways that I use technology. Is this the generation gap?
Comment by Allison -
Not to date myself but I still remember how excited I was when we figured out a way to play computer football against each other in 1971 from two different physical locations using modems.
I saw a mouse pad at XEROX in 1974.
My dad uses his computer every day to communicate with friends all over the world including old high school buddies. He also uses it for stock trading.
And I felt blind the first time I worked on a computer without a front panel.
Comment by David -
This is nothing more than ageism, pure and simple.
Since when was it a felony to access the technology, or heaven help us, have anyone over the age of 29 actually HAVE FUN with it? Apparently, we boomers are only supposed to be stonily concerned with 401K plans, Viagra treatments, or keeping Junior out of the slammer.
I was just reading an article in Forbes (I think it was Forbes—the memory is the first thing to go LOL!) while waiting for my flight back to Vancouver and the author was completely dismissive of older users of Facebook. Why, he asked, were older users, who should really only should be using the app for business networking purposes, adding quiz apps, flower garden garden apps, and \”I LIKE\” apps?
Er, because it\’s fun and a giggle? Lighten up, media pundits.
Comment by Judy Rudin -
Mark, my friend, we are getting old. The people writing those newspaper and magazine articles weren\’t born when we were doing the whole PC revolution stuff. That is why they think all this technology stuff is new…and they can\’t imagine that older people get it.
Turning 50 is a bitch. Although I have never been happier or more productive in my life, it does give me pause for a different perspective on life and the way things really work.
Enjoy the ride!
Don
Comment by Don Dodge -
I think most people over age 40 are computer literate and use all use the latest technology.
Comment by Laura Elston -
Mark,
Two items… first, the first piece of real technology I could claim as mine was an Atari… my grandfather at the time was the only person around who shared my curiosity and had the patience to play about a million games with me… I\’m not an active gamer now, but save a picture of both of us staring into Asteroid-land on a turn dial, black and white TV [mom and dad wouldn\’t let me set it up on the colour set].
That… and, up here in Canada… FB has been… well, wild and viral… the first invitation I received was from my mother… my girlfried\’s was from her grand father… I\’m sure there\’s a wholehearted reluctance on later generations not to give up the youth… latent throughout their lives… if it\’s easy enough for kids to use and enjoy… why would they want to miss out?
I for one, can barely wait to play with the toys that come out for my grandkids… that, my friend, is a trip worth waiting for.
Comment by Joe Hammill -
Marc Prensky has published an article addressing similar issues as relate to academia. See \”Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants\” from On the Horizon (NCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 5, October 2001). For those interested in how this issue relates to education, it may be worth a read.
Comment by Kohler -
AMEN!
Comment by Bee -
Quick note to everyone…
Never give out your IM id to parents and grandparents. As soon as you log on…BAM!…IM\’s from everyone…Everyone have a great week…GO MAVS!
Comment by Wayne Vermillion -
David B. Bohl:
I, like you, probably have another 30 productive years in me (I am 45)unfortunately, today\’s corporate kiddie know it alls get rid of us, because our experience intimidates them. We are deemed increasingly useless after 40. Until \”At will employment\” is outlawed, good luck working as long as you want. That\’s the truth.
Comment by Susan Lewis -
Amen. I\’m one of those marginalized, condescended to, often-bashed Boomers who embraces change at all levels, including technology.
I\’m told that I rebel against \”Boomer norms.\” What the heck does that mean? How does one generalize about 78 million people?
I dont identify with one demographic/ psychographic group.
I feel more productive and creative than at any other time in my life. I have more to offer the world than ever. I may have, God willing, 30 or more productive working years left in me. When I began my career, I was told to save for retirement, but retirement has become an obsolete concept. Besides that, I dont want to retire, or wouldnt if I, too, continue to find happiness through fulfilling work and career.
I see myself as ambitious, disciplined, hard-working, driven, dedicated, willing to sacrifice, able to conform if I have to, and have a respect for authority.
Ive had to sacrifice work-life and work-family balance and living today to get ahead, make a living, and take care of my family.
I\’m delighted that Gens X and Y are having such an effect on todays corporate culture, but I feel like the younger folks are being pandered to and that I\’ve been all but forgotten.
Finally, I feel that, although the ideas, creativity, energy, and optimism of the young are admirable and needed, so too are the experience, maturity, patience, and respect that I possess, and that I deserve the happiness that others are finding, and NOW.
Comment by David B. Bohl at SlowDownFAST.com -
I had a very interesting experience after signing up for Facebook (I\’m 52.) My 16 year old son was shocked and horrified at first. However, I think I\’ve overcome his initial revulsion by following several guidelines (almost all of which he\’d like me to follow IRL too):
– Don\’t embarrass him.
– Don\’t be the friends of his friends without his permission/understanding of the rationale.
– Don\’t spy.
The last one is the most important and interesting. There\’s a difference between spying and communicating openly. When I comment (hopefully non-judgmentally) about some group he has joined or cause he has supported, it has actually enabled us to have a richer communication. I think I get a better picture of who he is, and hopefully he of me, through our social connections and this has ultimately won him, warily, over to the notion that it\’s not so bad that I\’m around.
Comment by Jonathan Yarmis -
It\’s been my experiance that early adopters of new tech things tend to be younger and late adopters are usually older. Especially in the \”old days\”, older people were \’scared\’ of new technologies, and thought \”computers\” would be too hard to learn. I think this myth is now fading as each day passes us. I\’ve often wondered if we went through the same thing with the invention of the automobile, the toaster, or the microwave?
Comment by Brad D. -
I email with my 93 year old grandfather all the time. (He lives outside the country so visiting isn\’t an easy option) He surfs the web and uploads pictures and sends online cards. My friends are all surprised, but he learned it about as quickly as anyone else would have…
Comment by Benjamin Steger -
There is not really much that is new. A wiki is just a better blog which is just a better chat room which is just a better bulletin board. A YAHOO or Google club are really the same twist of all these things. A content management system is a wiki on steroids. A CRM system is just a really, really awesome address book. ACID databases are just really well coded databases. The iPhone is just a PALM Pilot on steroids, or a laptop on downers, or a iPod on crack. All programming languages are just a different means to mostly the same end. A MAC is a PC that does not get attacked because it was not driven by the evil and greedy Bill Gates. MAC\’s are not better, they\’re built by the \’right\’ people. A hacker is just a coder with no ability to his talent. Well, maybe the hacker thing is a little different because the hacker could also be a terrorist, but you get the point.
Comment by Rob Thrasher -
Mark,
I constantly have to deal with clients who are so worried that the older generation will not know how to browse their websites or use their software apps if we upgrade to newer technology or change a layout. They, my clients, think that any change and the older generation will not have a clue what is going on and basically just be dumbfounded – it\’s sad that people think that just because someone is older that they have no clue what a computer or cell phone or anything with new technology is. Last time I looked Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or Linus Torvalds and many others are not in their twenties! Wonder if these guys all know that according to the general consensus that they don\’t know too much about computers?!! 🙂
James
Comment by James -
In the early days of the web (cough cough hak hak where\’s my cane) you used to be able to get an email back from the president of a company if there was a problem with a product.. or the lead engineer ( dudes, Jobs and the kid with the big glasses hadn\’t even figured ithe web out yet). In other words it was wide open. Guys like Cuban, Jobs and Gates learned to segment and make money off the web the same way they did with programming. Great contributions came along once these guys were monetised so… Alright, but restrictive at the same time. Now it is incredibly difficult to get through to Bangaladesh to get in a service call.
I apologised to my kids already about how free and easy we had it, one son got kicked out of school for wearing sunglasses, we got kicked out of school if our hair touched our ears. Hey dweebs you can be one hundred years old and be more cutting edge than the clods half your age who vote in conservative republicans to crash our economy and restrict our lives. Look Cuban, no restrictions on the web. If you need them I can introduce you to a small island in the Carribean just a few miles off the Florida coast.
Sorry, I can\’t prattle on much longer, my grand daughter is tugging on my jammys and she wants to go bang on the keyboard in the music room. Just a little intergenerational interplay.. Live life!
Comment by Pete Dooley -
You are so right! Not only are we too old (I\’m 45)we\’re useless too. Baloney! Text and IM are the ultimate non-invasive ways to communicate, and it was a revolution for those who cannot spell! ttyl…
Comment by Susan Lewis -
The Eagles beat Britney Spears for the top spot on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart this week. Who you calling old?
Comment by Mary -
In \’62 as a soph in college I began programming. In \’74 my son was born. In \’80 our family business got a PC. In \’89 I was on the \’Net daily. By \’92 my son had rejected PC\’s as socially divisive. He\’s a Physicist and eschews PC\’s. He has no problem with Mini\’s & Mainframes, but a LAN? … no way. His mother & I have a LAN at home, been broadband since \’94/\’96, each has a laptop and a stationary as well as a central host.
We know who has embraced technology in our family and it\’s not the younger generation.
Comment by BimBeau -
my mom open up internet at 60! thats so great!
Comment by Chango -
Hey Mark, Ive found that the older I get, age has absolutely nothing to do with who I trust or friendship. It is truly a close minded way of living. Trust is something that is earned through time and experience with that person and loyalty is aquired with that trust. Thanks for the thoughts.
Comment by Frankie from Lawnside -
I have someone who is 38 on my FB profile. I broke the rules!
Comment by Leon Westbrook -
I guess I am old. I was a teenager when Jerry Rubin said never trust anyone over 30. I didn\’t. And I didn\’t trust him either.
I don\’t see much of anyone to trust under 30 any more. And I have no idea who Mark Cuban is.
Comment by Knox Bronson -
For the media to write such garbage just shows their ignorance. It just reinforces the falsehood that people get dumber as they get older and that isn\’t true. BTW, I had to kick my 60 year old mother off my computer just so I could post this comment :p
Comment by Rebeccalee Coventry -
We\’re here. We\’re old. Get the fuck used to it.
Comment by Tom -
I agree, but I also disagree. I think we\’re talking about two kinds of people. Those who don\’t stop learning, and those who are ready to stop or give up.
I\’m 28 (whew, I can still be friends with people) and yes, a lot of people of all ages use modern technology. But let\’s not forget about the people who fear technology, or fear certain kinds of technology. Email? Ok. A cell phone? Sure! But trying to get some people to use IM or text messaging is not easy. Or parents who don\’t want to understand the Internet, so they do their best to keep their kids away from it. There are plenty of stories on all sides.
The media tends to focus on the negative because they think it sells — and you\’re right, they overlook the millions of people who haven\’t stopped learning.
Comment by Derek del Barrio -
Great post Mark. I used to work for a company that makes an application to access your bank account via your cell phone. The early adopter numbers? More than 25% were people over 40. No one expected it… but it makes perfect sense. These people have money, and they like to look at it.
Same goes for other tech. If it\’s high touch and high value, consumers of all ages and demos will adopt it.
Comment by HJ Mann -
Mark, what you write about the media is true, but it\’s naive in a way, too. The media reports are designed to keep the over 29 crowd feeling like they\’re getting left behind. The media wants to create the fear, however subtle, that people had better spend their money and time on the next technology, that there is no history, only the future.
Comment by Peter B. -
Hey, my 85 year old paternal grandparents love the Wii I got them for their birthday this year. They recently admitted to me that they spent a whole day playing Wii Sports Golf without getting dressed and skipping lunch. That is sooooo cool!
I look at it this way… By the time my hearing and vision go, when my hands shake and I\’m emptying my bladder into a bag, when I need a small vacuum cleaner to keep the drool off of my bib, when I can just pluck ear hair when I need to floss my dental implants… There will be tons of technology available that I can actually use, thanks mostly to my grandparents, parents, and people Mark\’s age (12 years older than I) who will beta test the stuff to ensure it works well for old farts too!
Comment by Brad Hutchings -
That\’s so crazy… my mother-in-law and all of her friends spend all their extra time text messaging and emailing their friends and grandkids. When they are \”mall-walking\” they are usually listening to music on their IPods that they have down-loaded off the internet!
Comment by Kimberley -
im 42.. got a really good one in play.. was at web 2.0 summit presenting to people and in a panel Micheal Moritz was asked by battelle if its true he only likes to invest in kids.. his reply was .. Mozart died at 35.. i crawled under my chair and waived my iphone.
Comment by whens my 3 min pitch to you? -
Mark, so i shouldnt have friended you then
Comment by Scott -
Mark, I find it difficult (not impossible) to keep up with new tech while implementing old, learned tech. For example, I still create websites using primarily PHP. I simply don\’t have time to implement what I know in PHP and learn much about Ajax. The advantage that youth brings is that they do not have to support their knowledge of old tech, they have simply walked into the new. eventually todays youth will have to earn a living with the knowledge they have of todays new tech and will not have the time to learn the new of tomorrow.
Comment by Lease Agreement -
I think this is parrallel to the generation exercising, being closer as friends with their children, and accepting more things like that i let my 5 year old watch spiderman 3 even though its pg 13. They want to be young, live longer, and be closer to their children and grandchildren than their parents were. Its all about the social connections. Please read my fb message i sent you sun night, its a great read! Please note-if your near my mom when shes texting and driving please speed away.. and if my kids are in the car call 911.. she can barely use a cell phone , i wish i could disable her text capability!!
best
zwe
Comment by Zwemail -
i wonder how many of your 4000 FB friends are under 29????
Comment by bobby -
Anyone that denies that there\’s a serious generation gap really needs to take a look around them. I spent the better part of my high school and college career teaching people over the age of 29 how to use their computers. My grandfather sends me nearly constant spam. My father and his wife both text while driving. I think that the real problem is that we\’ve grown up with things like computers and text messages and whatnot, and kind of develop the sense of responsibility that comes with using them, whereas our parents haven\’t quite gotten there yet.
Comment by Adam -
Having been collecting data on this stuff for decades, it\’s absolutely clear and quantifiable how these technologies spread through the population. Not an unsolved problem, data-wise.
On the other hand, it means we analysts get press quotes in every new technology article.
Seems like a lot of the reporters I talk to about these articles are pretty young themselves . .
Comment by Josh Bernoff -
I had to quit FB when Best Half saw all the sweet young thangs that invited me to friend them.
I\’m back with the understanding that if they ask, I won\’t accept.
We agreed I can\’t friend any females younger than me, and that\’s dicey. Guys, no problem!
As soon as I get her on FB and she sees how it works we\’ll be cool.
(I\’m sixty, BTW)
Comment by GoingLikeSixty -
I\’ll never forget the first time my grandmother sent me a dirty joke via email.
::shudders::
Comment by Anne Jackson -
I think about this quite a bit, being in my mid-40s and (horror of horrors) enjoy quite a bit of new music in genres ranging from Deep House to Dubstep. Along with my Emmylou Harris, Black Sabbath and the 3 Bs (Bach, Brahms and Beethoven).
This whole notion of \”generations\” and \”generation gap\” is stupid and socially destructive. Always has been.
Comment by Dave Doolin -
I find this funny as I just sent a friend request to you on facebook yesterday. I\’m 25. Lucky I just came under the bar.
James Bird
http://www.marshalfirth.com
Comment by James Bird -