Googlestack

Technology is a generationally relevant thing. Kids today grow up using computers as toddlers. Due to iPhone face chatting, web conference videos, and Skype, many young children will be raised thinking that most phone calls come with video, when older generations remember video chats as something futuristic from "The Jetsons" that seemed neat but impractical. Technology has made leaps and bounds in the last few years, and younger people, who have been familiar with computers from grade school, are using the Web for everything from scheduling doctor's appointments to e-viting (sending invitations via the Web) their friends to their birthday party.

But older generations may not be so comfortable with the World Wide Web and its nearly limitless possibilities. Older adults don't like to purchase products over the Internet, so they won't have to give out their credit card information, and prefer to do their banking on paper rather than use many banking institutions' online system for paying bills and checking account balances. While most young people are constantly connected to the Internet, older people often turn off their device because they think the Internet "can't get them" if their machine is off. Older generations tend to know not to click on pop-up advertisements that are annoying but not damaging to the computer, while being ignorant about opening attachments from people they don't know that could contain viruses.

One older adult got very upset that Adobe was offering her some free downloadable software because she didn't realize Adobe is a trusted company. A younger person wouldn't think twice about downloading software from such a reputable company, but this woman ignored the download and then couldn't view her PDF file.

Knowledge is the key here. Older generations need to be willing to learn new skills and adapt, and younger generations should help their elders adjust.