Page 31 - Robeson Living Spring 2020

edge and skills to advance, they work to live, and enjoy life Raising children in a technology driven society may
outside of work. Characteristics of Gen Xers are leadership change the work driven ethic and there’s a call for con-
skills, people skills and play hard mentality which lends to the cern in K-12 and higher education and here’s why…
balancing of technology in their work and home/social life
through collaboration and face to face connections. Based on the generation you grew up in explains the tech-
nology you have been exposed to and are willing to share
Generation Y | Digital Natives or Millennials | Born between
1980 - 1996 | Currently 23 - 39 years old with your children as you learn. Generation Xers have
the unique ability to understand the need for paper/pen-
This generation has transformed technology from analogue to cil concepts and the importance of technology. They see
completely digital in every aspect. However, Generation Y can how they merge seamlessly and if used too much how
still communicate face to face and are academically cunning it can hinder development. However not all generations
and competitive to get the job done. This generation had con- assimilate to commonalities and lean on how they were
tinual emerging technology such as the development of laptops raised. For example, even though labeled a Generation
for business and travel, a variety of cell phones, and portable Xer, a person may really lean towards Generation Y, Pro-
cd players. What was their childhood like and how did they Technology everything or lean towards Baby Boomers,
pass the time? Children and teenagers do things in fads be- Anti-Technology everything .
cause of the social paradigm of acceptance of the group. They
do things to gratify and therefore the label “participation tro-
phy generation” and “everyone wins mentality.” As they enter As a parent raising two children in an educational en-
the workforce, they hop from job to job looking for the perfect vironment with a plenitude of technology devices and
job with flexible hours and unrealistic goals, and appreciate streaming capabilities at their fingertips, it is extremely
me time at all cost. Generation Y are trendsetters, move with hard to not use the devices as babysitters and target usage
the time, and social media dictates fades and acceptance, Har- to benefit what they are learning or exploring. Screen
ry Potter is their Peter Pan! time and how it affects brain development in children and
adolescents has intrigued my curiosity as studies have
Generation Z | Master of Technologies | Born between been ongoing in the past decade. In the next editorial, I
1997 - 2010 | Currently 9 - 22 years old will focus on screen time, usage amounts, communica-
tion skills and reading.
This generation has had technology since the womb, the
eat, sleep and drink the screen. They give voice to the In a day, how long do you think you spend on your Smart-
internet and social media status and the face to face rela- phone, Tablet/iPad and Laptop?
tionships of Generation Y. Instant gratification with im-
mediate technology responses is what they are immersed Nordicit, and Is There a Problem? – How I See it Ping-
in. Generation Z can multitask, financially savvy, and fo- back. “The Evolution of Technology throughout Genera-
cused like Generation Xers, but because of the speed of tions.” NordicIT , 10 Nov. 2016, nordic-it.com/evolution-
technology changing, it is causing limited attention span. technology-throughout-generations/.
This generation has smartphones, tablets, laptops, virtu-
al reality and everything new and shiny. What was their
childhood like and how did they pass the time? Children
and teenagers of this generation have a combination of
Generation X and Y breaking the mold. They use smart-
phones and apps to pass the time, Youtube is important,
sports and academics play a role in life.

Generation Alpha | TBA | Born between 2011 and 2025
| Currently 8 to Present

After reading the descriptions above, what type of gen-
erational parent techie are you?

Post your Parent Techie Type on Twitter @scorpiotechie

Robeson Living ~ Spring 2020 Page 31