| We've heard the cliche about the baby born with | | | | While we may not know the answers to those |
| the proverbial silver spoon in its mouth. The spoon | | | | questions yet, we are about to find out. |
| has now been replaced with a tiny, cell | | | | Introducing the iPad Generation. |
| phone-turned-portable-computer, the iPod, and its | | | | The iPad Generation |
| latest sibling, the iPad. The ramifications of their | | | | While Gen Y is defined roughly as the children |
| appearance, and the babies born along with them, | | | | born between 1980 and the early oughts, the |
| are staggering. More than any other time in | | | | arrival on the scene of the iPod, and now the |
| history, technology is advancing faster than our | | | | iPad, herald what will surely be termed the iPad |
| ability to assimilate it. As device after device | | | | Generation in years to come. |
| appears on the scene, each a generational | | | | The number one characteristic of the iPad |
| leapfrog over the one just before it, following | | | | Generation is it is absolutely fearless when it |
| Moore's Law relentlessly leads us down an ever | | | | comes to technology. Even more than its |
| expanding rabbit hole threatening to swallow our | | | | closely-related sibling Gen Y, the iPad Generation |
| very humanity. | | | | literally sees technology as an extension of their |
| Digital Generation Gaps | | | | own bodies. While even Gen Y might balk at |
| Children of today look biologically much as they | | | | having a portable computer embedded into their |
| did years ago, at least in their birthday suits. But | | | | craniums, the iPad Generation would see this as |
| something very subtle and powerful is going on in | | | | cool and want to know when they can have it |
| these new tots. The rapid advances in technology | | | | done! |
| to which they are exposed from an early age is | | | | While Gen X and Gen Y were busy building the |
| affecting them to the core, and the net result is a | | | | technology infrastructure that the iPad Generation |
| larger generation gap than ever. Like a snowball | | | | now takes for granted, the iPad Generation sees |
| rolling down a hill, the technological advances we | | | | it as the status quo, a platform from which to |
| are seeing are now coming at us with such speed | | | | jump. While this has and always will be the case |
| that they effectively create smaller and smaller | | | | from one generation to the next, the sheer |
| generations, or even sub generations, of humans. | | | | monumental technological advances that have |
| I will never forget the day I taught an introduction | | | | occurred in such a relatively short period of time |
| to computers course, and a 90-year-old man was | | | | have accelerated this process exponentially. |
| attending. I explained to the group that if a | | | | Silicon Parents |
| computer was slow, it might take up to "a whole | | | | What of the children of today immersed in this |
| second" for a menu to open after clicking on it. | | | | ever-expanding, soul-less technology field that |
| The 90-year-old man looked at me, mouth open, | | | | encompasses them morning, noon and night? |
| dumbfounded. | | | | When entire generations are raised by technology |
| "A second!" He replied, shocked. It was then that I | | | | that replaces their primary caregivers, one can |
| realized what a second must be to a 90-year old. | | | | only wonder how the precious imparting of |
| I understood in that moment just how | | | | wisdom, intuition, and heart-based understanding |
| fundamentally different my outlook and | | | | can take place. |
| expectations on technology are, compared to | | | | Computers may have limitless potential for |
| older generations. | | | | computational power, but they lack compassion |
| Another technological passing of the baton | | | | power. They are soul-less Tin-men whose makers |
| occurred for me the day a younger student | | | | somehow forgot to include a heart--because they |
| showed me something on his computer, and | | | | were never intended to be surrogate parents. |
| zipped around the screen 5x faster than I ever | | | | Can we see the effects of this transference of |
| could. It was then that I realized that he and I | | | | parenthood from flesh to silicon in today's |
| were literally part of a different generation, with a | | | | students? What of writing poetry, novels, music, |
| digital divide between us. We had a digital | | | | creating art, and other expressions of the human |
| generation gap, even though we were actually | | | | soul? If, given the choice, would we want our |
| only a few "human years" apart. | | | | children to be raised by super geniuses with no |
| Moore's Law and Digital Generations | | | | heart, or by fallible biological entities whose |
| This leads us to ponder whether we need to | | | | Compassion Quotient exceeds their IQ? We do |
| redefine human generations in terms of | | | | have a choice.iThink, Therefore iWonder |
| technology, instead of biology. While 10 years is a | | | | All of this rushing about, yet have we ever |
| fraction of a true human generation, a ten year | | | | stopped to really ponder the simplest questions: |
| difference between people growing up with | | | | what is the purpose of accomplishing everything in |
| different exposures to technology effectively | | | | a nanosecond? Is the world a better place |
| creates a whole new sub generation. | | | | because we soon will have computing power that |
| How different were children growing up in 1980, | | | | rivals that of the human brain, and ultimately |
| without computers, compared to those in the | | | | unlimited computational power available via the |
| 90's, with the explosion of the internet and the | | | | 'net, or even direct downloads into our brains like |
| digital revolution? Perhaps using Moore's Law as a | | | | in the movie The Matrix? |
| loose template, we can define a new human | | | | Perhaps a better question is not how powerful will |
| "digital generation" in terms of single decades | | | | computers become, but what will we become |
| rather than the traditional 25-30 years. | | | | when exposed to unlimited knowledge or |
| All of this leads us to that talented group of | | | | computational power? Will our capacity for |
| innocents that inherits this genius, those toddlers | | | | kindness, compassion, wisdom, intuition, and |
| standing on the shoulders of great technology. | | | | interpersonal skills change for the better? Or are |
| These youngsters, by virtue of their position atop | | | | we on the fast-track to devolution, becoming a |
| our technology, have a view that many of us | | | | giant brain with no heart? Will history look back on |
| older folk simply don't have. What can they see | | | | this period and say that our technological growth |
| that we cannot? | | | | was inversely proportional to our progress as |
| What is the effect of having instant | | | | human beings? |
| communication with almost anyone on earth, | | | | One might argue that the very essence of our |
| available in the palm of the hand, from | | | | humanity, our capacity to feel and respond |
| toddlerhood? What type of mindset is created | | | | compassionately, suffers the most, as we |
| when one expects to be able to accomplish or | | | | become more and more immersed in our own |
| experience anything, from business transactions | | | | personal technological bubble that threatens to |
| to romantic relations to education, in fractions of | | | | provide everything we need through a digital |
| a second? How does such ready access to power | | | | umbilical cord. |
| shape the human mind? | | | | Indeed, the iPad Generation is here, and it is us. |