Inarguably, the internet has defined this generation. With the wealth of information it can deliver in under a second, it has become the primary information resource for students, workers and the general public. All the information we have access to however, is not all truth. It seems as though the more we become bombarded with information, the less we care about its authenticity.
For those that are not familiar with the history of the web, it began as a shared communication resource between American universities. The information that individual university libraries contained was to be shared in electronic format, and in such a way that was quick and convenient. This expanded into the sharing of mathematical ideas, 3D representational ideas, and so on until the information was decided to be shared publicly. Unfortunately, once the general population learned how to code, they filled the internet with cat photos and prank videos.
In general, the internet is an inexhaustible source of information. It鈥檚 able to be accessed by anyone. There are pros and cons to this, as with anything in this world. As a millennial, I am often associated with technology. I am on the older side of the spectrum though, so I am in a unique position. I can relate to the younger generation since I grew up with computers. However, computers were in their beginnings just as I was. Every program, every glitch and every operating system are all familiar to me. For example, Microsoft office was so basic; it was easy to pick up at the age of seven. As I passed through each grade and each assignment demanded something new, Word and PowerPoint added new features. I remember when slide transitions first came out. I used every single tacky-looking one thinking it looked so professional. In addition, knowing the basic functions of the program allowed me to fully experiment with the new features for each release. This gave me extensive knowledge of the program. I became familiar with connectivity issues in my pre-teens when MSN was popular. If I wasn鈥檛 connected with my friends, I needed to find the issue and fix it fast so we could get back to talking about 鈥渋mportant鈥� things. Not to mention in the dial-up days too, but let鈥檚 skip over that stressful topic. On the other side of generations, I also was able to grow up without computers in my pocket and had adults that didn鈥檛 have screens shoved in their faces. I played outside until the streetlights came on, I drank questionable water from a garden hose and I found constructive things to do if I was bored. I feel that as much as people have a negative view of millennials, we are the best bet for opposing generations to understand one another.
Here鈥檚 what I mean. When I observe those older than me utilizing computers, the majority of them have only a basic understanding of how to perform tasks. They are not too concerned on learning why and how software interacts with the computer, they just want to get the job finished. In regards to utilizing the internet, they often use the first two results off of a search page to get their answers; otherwise they could not be bothered. It is usually the case that they do not have the time to keep digging, nor the patience. When I observe those younger than me utilizing computers, I find they take them for granted; they don鈥檛 have an appreciation for the devices they have now. They also never seem to have the patience when it comes to researching topics, be they academic or impromptu. One website鈥檚 viewpoint is research enough, and once read it becomes the gospel truth.
What we fail to realize when it comes to computers and the internet is that they are made by humans. Since I grew up the same time the internet grew larger, I think critically when it comes to information on websites, and I think logically when it comes to learning new programs. It is not only me of course; the conversations I have with other 鈥渙lder鈥� millennials breed the same insight. We have access to a wealth of information, but are too lazy to sift through it properly. We expect to be fed the right information on a silver platter. This is not the way the world works, especially on the internet. I believe that it is because of the different generations behaving in their own ways, only to both arrive at this result. I believe that my generation is best chance for the other generations to learn from our experiences growing up. Just as we learned from them, they can also learn from us.
Generally, information is information; the facts are the facts. When it comes to finding information, the internet can be a murky place. There are all sorts of information out there, but in order to find the correct information, one has to take the time to sift out the impurities.
