Generation gap creates misunderstanding between generations
Do you have any difficulty communicating about a particular topic with your parents? A disconnect on communication might be caused by the generation gap which prevents you from understanding the cultures and habits that the elders have. A generation gap means a difference of opinions between one generation and another regarding beliefs, politics, or values. However, in today’s usage, “generation gap” often refers to a perceived gap between younger people and their parents or grandparents. Nowadays, there is a large portion of people who claim that they have encountered a communication problem with their family or relatives because their parents do not understand what they are talking about. The primary cause of this lies in the difference between the beliefs and habits of parents and their children due to the change in cultural conventions. Often, these errors occur because of the accelerating rate of social and cultural differences coinciding with the shift from generation to generation.
The most significant change that took place as the new generation evolved is the emergence of new technologies. There are new communication systems such as Facebook and Twitter, updating every minute while the older generation is struggling to keep up with the influx of news and messages. On the other hand, the new generation is detached from traditional ways of communication such as face to face communication. Instead, many adolescents have begun to rely heavily on technology such as smartphones and computers that were not as popular in the past. Information in history was not as mobile now; people had a limited amount of data that they could access before. However, with technological development in modern society, teenagers these are introduced and connected to new things much more easily. As a result, the parents do not stray from what they are accustomed to, while the children evolve and change with their beliefs creating a more substantial disconnect with each generation.
“I experienced the generation gap when I was talking with my parents and grandparents,” commented Rachel Zhang (11A). “The songs that I listen to are different from what they listen to, and sometimes they do not understand the meaning of the song.” She claimed that generation gaps do exist, but it wasn’t as severe as what she thought. Rachel also indicated, “At first, I felt that it is strange that my family and I do not understand each other, but now it seems to be okay. I think the generation gap will stay the same even in the future.”
There are different perspectives about the future existence of the generation gap between the parents and children; some claim that the difference will become larger as time goes by, and the others argue that it will diminish gradually over time.