For as long as man has roamed the earth (I have to assume), generations have been concerned about the later generations’ values and feared inability to deal with humanity’s future. Similarly, newer generations have been frustrated by preceding generations’ archaic beliefs and practices. The young is forever surprised that the old have managed to live that long and the old are forever concerned how the young will ever survive.
During a recent social family gathering, I witnessed the interaction between a wonderful young teenager, whose school performance and sporting achievements are sources of great pride within his family, and older members of the family. Just before the festive Sunday lunch was served, I noticed the youngster’s frustration with his grandfather’s enquiries about certain functions on his cell phone. Later, when I found him alone, contemplating the dubious literature displayed on my bookshelf, I jokingly asked the young man whether he thought older people were “stupid”. Shockingly (but probably not surprisingly), he had no hesitation in confirming that he indeed thought so. After silently dealing with the inevitable logic that flows from the knowledge that he also thought of me as “old”, I tried to determine what it was that made him so certain of his intellectual ascendency over old people. Perhaps due to events earlier in the day, the first and foremost reason he raised was the fact that he at least knew how to use a cell phone.
For my generation, the most technically advanced items in a household were probably a Telefunken Rondo stereo and Electrolux vacuum cleaner. For my grandfather’s generation it was electric lights and an indoor toilet. Today there is hardly anything at home that is not technology driven. Your children have devices in their pockets that are more powerful than the super-computer at the university where I studied electronic engineering, your fridge for some reason has wi-fi capability and vacuum cleaners hide under the couch to clean up when only the cat is at home.
Technology is not only a major environmental factor that contributes to the perspective of any generation, it is probably also a major cause of generational differentiation. This technologically defined differentiation is however, quite marvellous! For every perceived negative attribute we may identify in the newer generation, a very positive trait may exist. This is the modern version of Darwinism – the newer generations are born into the wonder of technology and evolve to internalise it whilst older generations regard many technologies with scepticism, mistrust and even fear – although every parent who hopes that their offspring will succeed in life, encourages them to embrace, study and exploit the latest technology as the means to prosper. The 3G-series include references to unique technology and the effective employment of existing devices, hardware and software. All the devices employed by 3G – such as the directional, contained EMP used in Balancing the Scales, the virtual reality training system and the passive tracker technology relied on in Finding the Way and the “Calibrated Tactical Imager” used in Raising the Bar – have been conceptualised with reliance on existing technology and established scientific theory.