Generation gap

Generation gap

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Generation gap (disambiguation).

This

article

is

written

in

the

style

of

a

debate

rather

than

an

encyclopedic

summary.

It

may

require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards and make it more accessible to a general

audience. Please discuss this issue on the talk page. (October 2014)

A

generation

gap

or

generational

gap,

is

a

difference

of

opinions

between

one

generation

and

another regarding beliefs, politics, or values. In today's usage,

perceived

gap

between

younger

people

and

their

parents

and/or

grandparents.[1]

The

sociological

theory

of

a

generation

gap

first

came

to

light

in

the

1960s,

when

the

younger

generation

(later

known

as Baby

Boomers)

seemed

to

go

against

everything

their

parents

had

previously believed in terms of music, values, governmental and political views. Sociologists now

refer to “generation gap” as “institutional age segregation.” Sociologists have divided the lifespan

into

three

different

levels:

childhood,

midlife

and

retirement.

Usually,

when

any

of

these

age

groups

is

engaged

in

its

primary

activity,

the

individual

members

are

physically

isolated

from

people

of

other

generations,

with

little

interaction

across

age

barriers

except

at

the

nuclear

family level.

Sociologist Karl Mannheim noted differences across generations in how the youth transition into

adulthood.[2]

Sociologists

have

observed

and

studied

the

ways

in

which

generations

separate

themselves from one another, in the home and in social situations and areas (such as churches,

clubs, senior centers, and youth centers).

According to sociologists Gunhild O. Hagestad and Peter Uhlenberg, this generational segregation

is

of

great

concern

as

it

fosters

“ageism”

and

“increases

risk

of

isolation”

as

people

age.

Each

generation,

when

interacting

with

each

other,

has

a

wealth

of

information

to

pass

on

to

the

others. For instance, the older generations can provide great economic and general knowledge

on the human experience to the younger generations, while the younger generations can provide

input

into

current

music

and

technology

trends.[3]

This

is,

of

course,

not

always

the

case:

sometimes

members

of

the

older

generations

can

be

highly

familiar

with

current

trends,

and

members of younger generations can be fascinated by older music and culture.

Contents

[hide]

1 Distinguishing generation gaps

1.1 Language use

1.1.1 Slang

1.1.2 Technological influences

1.1.3 Language brokering

1.1.4 Workplace Attitudes

1.2 Generational consciousness

1.3 Intergenerational Living

1.4 Demographics

2 See also

3 References

Distinguishing generation gaps[edit]

There are several ways to make distinctions between generations. For example, names are given

to major groups (Baby Boomers, Gen X, etc.) and each generation sets its own trends and has its

own cultural impact.

Language use[edit]

Generations

can

be

distinguished

by

the differences

in their

language

use.

The

generation

gap

has created a parallel gap in language that can be difficult to communicate across. This issue is

one visible throughout society, creating complications within day to day communication at home,

in

the

work

place,

and

within

schools.

As

new

generations

seek

to

define

themselves

as

something apart from the old, they adopt new lingo and slang, allowing a generation to create a

sense of division from the previous one. This is a visible gap between generations we see every

day.

“Man's

most

important

symbol

is

his

language

and

through

this

language

he

defines

his

reality.”*

4]

Slang[edit]

Slang is an ever changing set of colloquial words and phrases that speakers use to establish or

reinforce social identity or cohesiveness within a group or with a trend in society at large.[5] As

each

successive

generation

of

society

struggles

to

establish

its

own

unique

identity

among

its

predecessors

it

can

be

determined

that

generational

gaps

provide

a

large

influence

over

the

continual change and adaptation of slang. As slang is often regarded as an ephemeral dialect, a

constant

supply

of

new

words

is

required

to

meet

the

demands

of

the

rapid

change

in

characteristics.[5] And while most slang terms maintain a fairly brief duration of popularity, slang

provides a quick and readily available vernacular screen to establish and maintain generational

gaps in a societal context.

Technological influences[edit]

Every

generation

develops new

slang,

but

with

the

development

of

technology,

understanding

gaps

have

widened

between

the

older

and

younger

generations.

term

'communication

skills,' for example, might mean formal writing and speaking abilities to an older worker. But it

might mean e-mail and instant-messenger savvy to a twenty something.

private conversations in secret in a crowded room in today’s age due to

the advances of mobile

phones

and

text

messaging.

Among

“texters”

a

form

of

slang

or

texting

lingo

has

developed,

often

keeping

those

not

as

tech

savvy

out

of

the

loop.

“Children

increasingly rely on

personal

technological devices like cell phones to define themselves and create social circles apart from

their

families,

changing

the

way

they

communicate

with

their

parents.

Cell

phones,

instant

messaging,

e-mail

and

the

like

have

encouraged

younger

users

to

create

their

own

inventive,

quirky and very private written language. That has given them the opportunity to essentially hide

in plain sight. They are more connected than ever, but also far more independent. Text messaging,

in particular, has perhaps become this generation’s version of pig Latin.

While in the case with language skills such as shorthand, a system of stenography popular during

the

twentieth

century,

technological

innovations

occurring

between

generations

have

made

these skills obsolete. Older generations used shorthand to be able to take notes and write faster

using

abbreviated

symbols,

rather

than

having

to

write

each

word.

However,

with

new

technology and keyboards, newer generations no longer need these older communication skills,

like Gregg shorthand. Although over 20 years ago, language skills such as shorthand classes were

taught

in

many

high

schools,

now

students

have

rarely

heard

of

or

even

seen

forms

like

shorthand.[8]

The

transitions

from

each

level

of

lifespan

development

have

remained

the

same

throughout

history. They have all shared the same basic milestones in their travel from childhood, through

midlife and into retirement. However, while the pathways remain the same, i.e. attending school,

marriage,

raising

families,

retiring,

the

actual

journey varies

not

only

with

each

individual,

but

with each new generation.[9] For instance, as time goes on, technology is being introduced to

individuals

at

younger

and

younger

ages.

While

the

Baby

Boomers

had

to

introduce

Atari

and

VCRs to their parents, Generation Y’ers had to teach thei

r parents how to maneuver such things

as DVRs, cell phones and social media. There is a vast difference in Generation Y’ers and the Baby

Boomers when it comes to technology. In 2011, the National Sleep Foundation conducted a poll

that focused on sleep and the use of technology; 95% of those polled admitted to using some

form of technology within the last hour before going to bed at night. The poll and its associated

research was conducted by Michael Gradisar, Ph.D. of Flinders University in Australia. Dr. Gradisar

compared the difference in sleep patterns in those who watched TV or listened to music prior to

bedtime compared to those who used cell phones, video games and the internet.

The study looked at Baby Boomers (ages 46

–64), Generation X’ers (ages 30–45), Generation Y’ers

(ages 19

–29) and Generation Z’ers (ages 13–

18). The research, as expected, showed generational

gaps

between

the

different

forms

of

technology

used.

The

largest

gap

was

shown

between

texting and talking on the phone; 56% of Gen Z’ers and 42% of Gen Y’ers admitted to sending,

receiving,reading text messages every night within one hour prior to bedtime, compared to only

15% of Gen X’ers and 5% of Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers were more likely to watch TV within

the last hour prior to bedtime

, 67%, compared to Gen Y’ers who came in at 49%. When asked

about computer/internet use within the last hour prior to bedtime, 67% of those polled admitted

to using a computer “a few times a week”, and from those, 55% of the Gen Z’ers said they “surf

the w

eb” every night before bed.*10+

Language brokering[edit]

Another

phenomenon

within

language

that

works

to

define

a

generation

gap

occurs

within

families

in

which

different

generations

speak

different

primary

languages.

In

order

to

find

a

means to communicate within the household environment, many have taken up the practice of

language

brokering,

which

refers

to

the

“interpretation

and

translation

performed

in

everyday

situations by bilinguals who have had no special training”.*11+ In immigrant families whe

re the

first

generation

speaks

primarily

in

their

native

tongue,

the

second

generation

primarily

in

the

language

of

the

country

in

which

they

now

live

while

still

retaining

fluency

in

their

parent’s

dominant language, and the third generation primarily in the language of the country they were

born in while retaining little to no conversational language in their grandparent’s native tongue,

the

second

generation

family

members

serve

as

interpreters

not

only

to

outside

persons,

but