Recently, I've become very aware of the generation gap. I'll be the one to say it: if we all saw common ground on social issues, politics and ways to spend our money, we would really see that we all like the same things.
The saying, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" really grinds my gears. With the attitude that you can't keep up with technology or that you are too old for these devices is really up to you to decide. You get to decide whether or not you are willing to learn and keep up with trends.
Maybe it's just me, but I personally like music, literature and artists from "back in the day." On the contrary, I'm also always evolving with what's popular and the ways young people communicate.
My favorite band is The Beatles but I also like to listen to One Direction. My favorite movie is Breakfast at Tiffany's but I also liked The Fault in our Stars. I see the generation gap to be all in society's head and it only bothers you if you let it.
As the years go by, the newer generations continue to set new standards of what's on and what's new. Although we use inspiration of the past generations, we still set a new standard of what clothes we think look the coolest vs. what older people think looks good.
For example, ripped jeans. I love ripped jeans. You can wear them in the summer for a slight breeze or wear them in the winter so you're not wearing regular blue jeans. We have also changed the status quo on types of jeans we wear. We like skinny jeans, mom jeans and boyfriend jeans. If someone were to wear skinny jeans in the era of bell-bottoms, the culture wouldn't approve.
With the wonder of the internet, we still have huge problems that are being addressed everyday and will continue to be addressed, politically and socially. We have a new way for bullies to target people all hours of the day and not just in person. People you don't even know could attack you for the littlest of things, even if it is just wearing the type of jeans you like.
Of course, the internet has made such a wonderful impact on this world, but some will disagree with me on that. Lots of Baby Boomers and Gen X's like to think that kids nowadays have it lots easier than they did, which is true. We have the internet to access millions of articles for research at our fingertips, we are able to communicate with people all over the world, we have the ability to stream any music or movie we want without having to listen to the full album or go to the movie theater.
The internet is a wonderful tool that everyone should take advantage of, but with such a powerful tool, it's also used to update your status or post pictures for all your friends to see. It's not always all good. We have had to deal with trust issues on the internet. Are these people really who they say they are? Are they commenting rude things because they are jealous or are these comments really what they are saying?
The internet is a blessing in a disguise, really. If we (all generations) work together to make the internet what it was supposed to be used for, we need to make it a safe and happy place, sharing the true wonders of our worlds for others to see.
With that, I hope the next time you log on to the internet, even if it's just to search something, please be kind to others. If we work together and evolve together, the world will be a better place.
The next time you are surfing the web, scrolling through social media, think about the positive impact the internet has made on our lives. Let's try to not judge people for not knowing the new ways of things, help those who do not know how to do things in today's technology-crazed society and let's get the internet back to a place of knowledge and inspiration.
