Internet Use Compared to Generations

Ages: 18-35
I interviewed my good friend Melissa. She is 20 years old and a sophomore in college. She is taking two online courses, has a MySpace page, and does her banking online. She also lives far out of town and is unable to connect with wireless or high speed. I have heard her before talk about the frustration she has because of her slow dial up. She says “That’s why I use the Internet whenever I can at the college (UCC).” With her situation, I got a different perspective of how this generation and many of the friends I have who rely on the Internet, can become frustrated when it is slow. She goes on to tell me that yes, she does feel comfortable communicating on the Internet for the most part. She used MySpace and doesn't talk to anyone she doesn't know to help protect herself. She also tells me that yes, the Internet has changed the way she lives her life, and she can definitely see a difference within the past few years. “I think we all use the Internet a lot more than we even did in high school!” I agreed. We both have online classes and even face-to-face classes that require the Internet and this is a very important structure of our daily lives. “Well, for education, the Internet has definitely helped. I don’t know what it would be like if we still had to use books for research papers.” Melissa makes some good points. Overall, she said she is grateful the Internet is so conveniently available (besides at her homes slow dial up). “What would we do without it?” she asked me. We agreed that in our generation, it seems that we have grown up with the Internet.

Ages: 36-60
I interviewed my step dad Tim. He is 58 years old and mainly uses the Internet for professional communication, medical information, and for scuba diving information and communication. Tim also uses the Internet for keeping in touch with friends and family on just about a daily bases. He was born in Spokane, WA with family whom he still stays in touch with and even e-mails a friend he met while attending school to become Physician’s Assistant in North Dakota. When I asked him how it has changed the way he lives his life he told me that throughout his life, he has been able to see the changes technology has made. “Even when I went to college, nobody had personal computer...the Internet has totally changed our access to education and communication.” When I asked him what is overall opinion of the Internet is he said, “It’s only going to get better.”

Ages: 61 and up
I work at an assisted living facility, so I thought I would interview a resident who uses the Internet. Some people may be surprise about the amount of people in the older generation how use the Internet. I interviewed Earl. He is 78 years old and lives pretty much independently. I have always been curious to how some of the residents at my work have used the Internet, so this interview was a great way to find out more. Earl told me that it was his son who bought him his very own computer and he mainly uses it for keeping in touch with his sons. He told me his son Richard is “very good with computers.” When I asked him how comfortable he was using the Internet, Earl laughed and said “I'm alright, there so much to know” (regarding navigation through the Internet). Overall, he says he really enjoys using Yahoo to check e-mails and to see “what’s going on.” He says he’ll check his e-mail about twice a day and when there is nothing to do or nothing on the television, he’ll get online.

I learned that for the older generation like Earl, did not grow up around the Internet and are more likely not use the Internet for as many reasons as the younger generation. Of course, I cannot say this is the case for every elder. As for the 36-60 age group, I feel that this generation uses the Internet for reasons more closely related to the 18-35 group.

The Internet in our culture has advanced enormously and as my step dad Tim said, “When I was growing up, the thought of a man walking on the moon made people laugh, now look at what has been done.” Tim relates this to the overwhelming amount of resources found on the Internet. In contrast to the younger generation, my interview with Melissa was different in the fact that she and I have basically grown up with the Internet at our side. I think that growing up with the Internet has made a huge difference in how our lives sometimes feels surrounded by the Internet, where as the older generations are not so dependent on it.