I have lived 3 decades and lots has changed. A few things happened along the way:
- The world wide web took over and connected the world
- India became an outsourcing 'mecca'
- We embarked into a new century - 20XX
When I interact with the youth of today (Gen 20XX), I do realize that they see life from a completely new perspective. Their fundamental philosophies are based on the following:
I need to be connected virtually - Anytime, Anywhere, Anyhow for Anything!!!
This is a generation that wants to publish- Publish their whereabouts, their interests, their routines, their expressions. They show interest in just about anything ranging from
- Where someone checked in
- What someone is doing at the very instance
- Sighs of a stranger whose baby burped!
- Angst of someone who wants to blow up the world
Social success is measured by number of friends on Facebook/Number of text messages received/ Number of Virtual Hangout requests you get and how many farmville neighbors helped out at your farm!
I need not remember- I can Google! Hang on- don't tell me now- I will call!
Information consumption, attention to detail seem like pointless characteristics in today's world. We remembered everything from maps/telephone numbers/birthdays/bus routes even poetry! Today- every kid in the world hits Google to find, points to Wikipedia when in an argument and uses Google Maps when lost. Interestingly I can guarantee that when someone leaves to the super market, despite the fact that the Mom or the Wife would have given instructions, one will call from the supermarket! In my younger times, I would write down a list and ensure I got to every detail when I left home to buy stuff for mum. However, today there is a phone which always comes to the rescue and one does not want to remember. People want to listen to information and detail only when it is applicable and do not want to retain it for periods longer than that.
I need change I have a short attention Span
The mind of a youth today seeks change/something different every few minutes. Sit for 15 minutes and TV channels will be flipped a few 100 times. Get a girlfriend and gosh I am bored after 2 days! Get into a routine and one feels like a cabbage! Everything has a short shelf life. Anything long and static can truly tire and exhaust folks. Gone are the days when we would find contentment in watching 'Chitrahar' 1 despite the same songs, despite its brevity. I still cannot forget the joy and the yearning for 'Nanna Munna Rahi Hoon' 2 every independence day- year on year!
I have an Avatar - the virtual me!
Everybody dawns a new Avatar in the world behind a computer/ipad/mobile. They express views, update status messages, chat textually and become complete new characters on the net. The real them is almost getting inconsequential with time. Human dichotomy and split personality syndrome has taken over the world at mass!
The above are a few illustrations of the Gen 20XX - The new tribe that has arrvived! Maybe we need to progress and teach our kids how to use a calculator instead of teaching them addition. Maybe we need to accept that the physical being of an individual is going to be immaterial in the new world. Perhaps this is evolution, perhaps it is the dawn of a new era. I did love the 19XX's and I am fascinated by the 20XX. However I know, If I had to, I can relive my childhood only as I know it best - with time on hand, spending time outdoors, with real social interaction and a fascination for the future. I do however believe the Gen 20XX has arrived and its time we stepped back and let them lead lives the way they know best.
1: A Television Program broadcast-ed once a week on Indian National Channel (Doordarshan) in the 80's. This was the platform to showcase songs from Indian Hindi Movies. 3-4 songs would be played in the span of 30 minutes with few new and several old ones that were popular in their times.
2: A patriotic song from an Indian Movie which reflected a child's patriotism and desire to be a soldier. This song was the anthem of a lot of young children in the 80's.
Meeta.. So true! My sentiments echoed! In my 30's I can already get a sense of this Gen and the generation gap.. The point is that there are pros and cons - like with everything in life! So these changes actually present new opportunities - both for the generation of kids, for people in their immediate sphere of influence (like parents, teachers, etc.) and for businesses... But since I grew up in another era like you, I would like to believe that there is charm in personal interactions, thrill in living and being in the real world, magic in being YOURSELF, joy in recalling and remembering things will great detail, learning & growth in being disconnected... :)
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to all that you have said. I hear my kids say this all the time - "What do you mean you don't know? Just google it!"
ReplyDeleteI believe the opening up of Indian economy in 1991 was perhaps the most significant event which triggered this radical change in our ways of living. Since we witnessed that, we are more at awe at how different our worlds have become from the time we were young!
Good post!
Dear Meeta, very well written. I wrote a similar one for a weekly edition at my work place, but I liked yours better. I felt like you spoke many minds there in your article. Please keep them coming. I love creative work. Cheers my dear. Peri
ReplyDelete@Nischala,Poet Mama and Right lee chan: Thank you for visiting. Initially I always found myself opposing the change and over time I realized that is exactly what I disliked when I was young. Not sure really about what is good or bad. But yeah I just wish sometimes I can let this Gen 20XX also experience the 'Charm' of real interactions.
ReplyDeletebeautifully composed meeta. I agree fully and yet paradoxically, i am posting this on the move via my mobile :)
ReplyDeleteWhat we can do is try to embrace the new reality, but also make sure that the next generation (aka our kids) learn and grow in ways similar to how we did. So buy them physical books instead of e-books, toys that make them get up and go out and play and use their hands to build instead of video games/wii etc and make them physically interact with other people/kids more. We can set the example early, and they will follow. In due course, the digital world will ensconce them, but if they know a different experience, they will then be in a position to have enjoyed both, and have learnt from both.
ReplyDelete@Nikhil: Thank you for visiting even though you used your phone for it;-)
ReplyDelete@Greeshma: Very well put. Infact for another time and space I think the experiences of a kid when they are young make them one way or the other and I am glad you are intending to expose yours to a few things from our lives and our times:-)