Demystifying the Communications Gap
Remember when staying connected with friends and family was pretty straightforward? Our options were making a telephone call, writing a letter, or walking, biking, or driving over to their house.
With today's advancements in communications combined with computers and handheld devices, we now have multiple ways to connect and socialize regardless of the distance. However, the communication method of choice is often dictated by one's age, and each age group has gravitated to that method with which they have become most familiar and comfortable.
For example, most of those in my generation have embraced email and cell phones. We use email to communicate with our friends or business associates because it's easy and convenient, especially for spanning times zones. Email also allows us time to work out our thoughts as we create the message and is less intrusive than a phone call. Most of us also own cell phones, although the primary reason is often to have a means of contacting others in the event of an emergency. Also growing in popularity are services such as Skype that enable us to make free or low-cost phone calls from our computers. Add a webcam and the phone call becomes a video visit.
But many in my generation are also caught between the resistance of our parents' older generation to new technology and the lightening-fast adoption to instant ways of connecting exhibited by our children and others of younger generations. As a result, communicating with our parents or the younger set can be more challenging because each age group prefers a different technology for staying in-touch.
Many older adults in our lives would rather keep in touch by means of their land-line house phone. This creates a dilemma for those of us who have become accustomed to more modern forms of communication. As our parents and grandparents age, we encourage them to take advantage of modern technology and carry a cell phone or use email so we can easily keep in touch, but they often resist because of the cost and complexity.
Fortunately there are some modern conveniences that do a better job of bridging the gap between today's technology and yesterday's comfort level. The Jitterbug cell phone, for example, was designed for seniors and is much easier to use than most other cell phones. It also offers that familiar feel of the traditional phone with its use of a dial tone and access to a friendly operator when you dial zero. And if the older adults in your life can't afford or are overwhelmed by a computer, there are products like MyCelery (a two-way communication method using familiar fax hardware) and Presto (a communication service offering one-way delivery of photos and letters) that can help them be connected enough to enjoy the instant gratification of receiving digital pictures or a quick e-note.
The younger generation is less into using email and more into instant connections using SMS (Short Message Service), also known as text messaging or texting, on their cell phones. One way to win brownie points with your grandkids is to flex your thumbs on your cell phone keypad and send them text messages. According to a recent poll by Cingular Wireless, the majority of parents who text their children felt that it improved communications with their kids and made them easier to reach. To save your thumbs, however, it would be wise to learn some of the shorthand lingo used for texting, such as "cul8r Luv Gmom" for example. You could even have your grandchildren show you how to text using some of their texting lingo shorthand.
Another place the younger generation spends a lot of their on-line time is at social networking sites, where many have their own personalized pages. Did you know that more than half of all American youths ages twelve to seventeen use online social networking sites (Social Networking Websites and Teens: An Overview, 1/7/2007, Pew Internet & American Life Project)? If you log into one of the more popular social network sites, like MySpace or FaceBook, you might find web pages belonging to your grandkids where you can leave messages.
Social networking is also growing in popularity with our generation, with many older adults gravitating to sites like MySpace to blog, share pictures and meet friends, or similar sites such as AARP's Message Boards to exchange ideas and make new acquaintances.
Today's communication technology offers us a variety of means to stay connected. Understanding the methods most popular with a particular generation is key to bridging the gap that leads to solutions that help you stay connected. In the end, finding this solution will help us all stay closer to our loved ones, even as the miles and time zones separate us.
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AARP does not recommend or endorse any of these products or web sites. Please be advised that there are other similar products and web sites available which were not reviewed and are not listed here.
About the Author
Susan Ayers Walker is a leading-edge boomer with over 35 years experience in emerging technologies.
