Expectations within the Global Community

McLuhan talks about the gap between generations and the new forms of communication throughout his articles. I personally agree with the idea that technology is further deepening the gap between the generations for a few reasons, I think the rate at which technology changes plays a big role in this gap. For example it takes somebody who is highly adaptable and is able to adapt at a fast rate to be able to keep up with the new technological advancements, on the other hand it takes a highly focused and willing older person to just manage to stay afloat. The rate of change is so rapid that it tends to bring a new meaning to “survival of the fittest” nature’s course in this perspective is those who can adapt to new advancements at a rate faster than the life of the technology itself, before we used to use our cellphones until they died or stops working and that was less than 10 years ago, now we change phones because their capabilities become obsolete within a few month, thus leading to our own capabilities as being obsolete, unless we are willing to put in the time to advance alongside technology. The global community is no different if you cannot keep up with the advancements of the global community then you are not a part of this community which further drives the gap between those who can and those who cannot. Communicating in the global community has made my life much easier especially when my brother was stationed in Afghanistan, just some years ago when he was in Germany we only heard from him once or twice a month leaving us with no expectation of communication of any kind. But when he went to Afghanistan we were able to see him via Skype almost everyday or whenever we wanted to leaving us with expectations and a reliance on technology to validate the well being of my brother.

Media influence on the generation gap

Hey guys! So lately it seems I have been walking into countless examples of how the media affects our culture today and what this means for the younger generations. One circumstance happened last week while I was babysitting two girls; the older one is 14 years old, and the younger one is 10.

            First off, I would like to note -- since when do 14 year olds dress the way they do??? She was dressed in more-up-to-date fashion than I was, and in a very adult way… (Embarrassing for me… but I swear, I’m over it...). Anyway, she had her fashion down… the multiple, dangly bracelets, the cool white, jean shorts, the belt, she had the layering element down, and she had on these “summery hues,” if you will… an array of whites, oranges, and shades of red. Meanwhile, I was wearing a yoga top from Lulu Lemon with some shorts, and I was flattered when she complimented my top and mentioned she would want one because it looks comfortable. But before I could get too jazzed about it, she added, ‘does it come in any other colors? Green is so last year’.

            Oh, great.

What I am trying to get at with this example is what McLuhan suggested about the increasing differences between generations; how ‘space binding media’ influences an overwhelming pace of change by allowing ideas to be shared from distant parts of the world. By allowing such a flow of ideas, “updates” to many topics such as food, music, and fashion are rapidly produced and available to everyone who is connected. Now I know that this girl is not exactly a full generation below me, but you can see how already, the increased usage of media is affecting the lifestyles, ideas, and thinking of younger kids. McLuhan further suggests, that specifically, “space binding media creates a bigger gap between ‘today’ and yesterday’.” I never dressed that way, or so flawlessly, when I was little, and maybe I was out of fashion(?), but I seriously think that the bombardment of media and new technology, like ipads, and smart phones, is influencing our culture’s way of thinking, and their evaluation of people and situations that they encounter in life.