Age Identity
Almost every
culture has rites of passage which are dictated by age, be it the Dokimasia
from ancient Greece (Peck, 1898), breeching of young
boys in Colonial America (Baumgarten, 2002), or retirement in
this modern era. The concept of old or young is a dynamic and unpredictable assentation.
To the younger generation the concept of being old implies a sense of wisdom
and reverence, however to those that are old it is often felt as a burden or a
handicap. Being older is often used as
an excuse for languid behavior in regards to maintaining active involvement
with culture. Technology embraced and used by Generation Y has served to vastly
change the balances of power and cultural communication. (Marin & Nakayama, 2009) Older generations
are finding the need to quickly adapt or risk becoming obsolete themselves.
 |
| Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images |
A very general
example of this can be shown with the evolution of the Arab spring movement. The
general feeling of unrest in these societies was conveyed between its citizens
with blog posts, Facebook, tweets and texts. These tools often went un-noticed from oppressive
leaders belonging to older generations. They were used to contending with phone
calls, and conventional print media, tools that are falling by the wayside. The
successful overthrow of oppressive leadership serves as an indication of the importance
of age relations. Older leaders underestimate the youth, writing off
communication methods that they have no understanding of.
The concept of age
identity is prevalent not only in my life, but for everyone. I realize that
communication issues between older peers and co-workers can be attributed to
the fact that we are two different generations. Our different methods of perceiving
actions and responses may in fact be the cause of disputes. The ability to
recognize when this is an issue allows a more expedited resolution.
Jared Cohen Director of Google Ideas discusses the impact of technology on the Arab Spring and the convergence of the older generation with the younger generation.
Works Cited
Baumgarten, L. (2002). What Clothes Reveal: The
Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America. Williamsburg: Yale
University Press.
Marin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2009). Intercultural
Communication In Contexts. (5th, Ed.) New York: McGraw Hill Companies.
Peck, H. T. (1898). Harpers Dictionary of
Classical Antiquities. New York: Harper and Brothers. Retrieved from
Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities.
I believe you bring up an interesting point dealing with age identity and technology and the Arab spring movement. While, I understand why third world countries' older generations are not technologically advanced and thus communicate different than their younger generation. I don't believe we can hold this same principle to our older generations in the United States. From my experience, working in a copy and print center, I am often surprised how many older individuals can communicate to us via email or have a cell phone. That being said I think age identity in the United States differs in principle and thought then less modern societies.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting idea about the Arab spring movement you made. The age gap with this involving the aspects of social media are a very interesting concept and gives the older generation new things to deal with. I never gave this some thought until you made this very good point. Great blogpost Jake!
ReplyDeleteThinking about the different communication styles of generations was a unque approach. Technology has allowed more access to the rest of the world. On average, we can assume the younger generations use this technological communication more often than the older generations. The Arab Spring Movement is evidence of this clash of different communication styles. Very thoughtful post. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat example of the Arab spring movement to relate to age identity. I have to agree with Katie Hottovy from above, the older generation are not unfamiliar with the world of social networking. A lot of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and parents have created a facebook account. Older celebrities like Larry King, Bill Maher, Anderson Cooper, Steve Carrell, and many others tweet on a daily basis. The US is not repressed when it comes to technology but rather it's the undeveloped countries such as the Middle East that still have oppressive leadership.
ReplyDeleteI think age identity is a major factor in miscommunication and misunderstandings in not only our country but other countries. The extremely fast evolution of technology has created a gap between the young and old like never before. Our grandparents were being introduced to cars whereas we are being introduced to robots and a whole cyberspace full of communications. It is something that we need to bridge the gap with and get on the same page. Great examples!
ReplyDeleteVery clever and creative example. I like that you captioned your video as well. Great addition of sources and referenced in the text. Next time think about how you can expand paragraph 3 a little more.
ReplyDelete