The Times They Are A-Changin’
When Dylan sang, ‘For the Times They Are a- Changin’” in the early sixties, he wasn’t kidding. This iconic song became the anthem of the times, heralding a seismic shift in the culture toward young, progressive, and radically new ideas. Sixty years later, the world is transformed in ways I could never have imagined.
We are now in an age of digital information, and oftentimes, I find I do not know what I do not know. I remember back to the warning I was given years ago by a young and savvy technology teacher. She informed me that my peers are immigrants to the digital age, but my students are natives.
I cannot pinpoint the moment I arrived at this realization. When I offered to pay a younger colleague by check, she declined that method. I could use Zelle or Venmo, because she did not have a checkbook. Wait, what? When did that happen? In my last years of teaching, classroom technology was a requirement. Way too often, I depended on helpful students to solve my computer snafus. It wasn’t lost on me that I was relying on eleven-year-olds to keep my lessons running smoothly.
The proverbial last straw came at a recent visit to my daughter’s home. Sitting down to watch our favorite show, my husband and I realized we had no clue how to use their remote. Change the channel? There is no such thing. So, there we sat, two helpless dinosaurs, while my daughter patiently explained the process.
It got me to thinking. I came of age during the fifties, sixties, and seventies. I consider myself lucky in that respect, since we were the very last to experience the analog world. When we were bored, we were expected to figure out what to do with our time. We were resilient and self-reliant. We weathered chickenpox, measles, and mumps before lifesaving inoculations were discovered. I recall waiting in line with my family to receive the Salk polio vaccine, the sugar cube that was administered to an entire nation, thereby wiping out the scourge of infantile paralysis. Faint traces of the tuberculosis injection remain on the arms of many of my peers.
More recently, as the nation anxiously watched the Artemis zoom through the atmosphere to a safe touchdown, my peers and I experienced déjà vu. We remember when John Glenn was strapped into a rocket capsule and blasted into outer space. I recall the collective sigh of relief when Friendship7 splashed down, bobbing safely in the Pacific.
Our communication was slow but reliable. I wrote long detailed letters in cursive to my cousin and my grandmother and waited weeks for a reply. Later, my age group experienced the greatest music of our time. The fact that our children sing the classic songs that gave meaning to our lives confirms this. I can still sing the order of songs on Carol King’s Tapestry or Meet the Beatles’ album. Can I do that with Spotify? Perhaps, but even if I could, I would not know how.
We grew up in a safe environment and enjoyed unprecedented freedom of movement. Go outside and play, our mothers prodded us. And out we went, joining friends for stoop ball, running bases, or red light, green light in a neighbor’s driveway. We oversaw our own play dates. Imagine telling our grands about a time when the streetlights signaled us to go home.
Without devices to distract us, my friends and I learned to be present. When the phone rang, we never knew who might be calling, and like it or not, we had to deal with whoever was on the other line. As for etiquette, if that phone rang while my family ate dinner, no one dared answer it. That time was sacred. Today, we know exactly who is calling and in our instant messenger world, text or email can be sent in seconds, while prompt replies are an expectation.
Recently, I decided to embrace the technology that makes my life easier and not worry about the rest. I just installed my grocery store app on my phone and can now digitally clip my coupons, eliminating the humiliation of begging the clerk to grant me the discount. Oh, happy day!
The times, though, may be changing again. The Wall Street Journal recently reported an uptick in interest in the analog trend by Millennials and Gen Zer’s. Exhausted by digital overload, they are powering a resurgence in crafting and board games. Some families are instituting a digital free zone in their home, while others are observing a disconnect day from their devices. Since more studies are documenting the dangers of social media, algorithms, and constant digital engagement, this is a good sign.
My peers, the parents and grandparents of our children and grandchildren, are perfectly positioned to engage the younger set in a technology-free world. After all, we learned to survive and thrive in that world.
How do you deal with the changes in today’s digital world? Have you adjusted or are you trying hard to keep up?
Click here to view Amazon Silver Alexa This SNL skit will give you a chuckle.
Bit by bit, that’s all she wrote…