In late June, Alysia Montano, an Olympic-class runner, ran the US Outdoor Track and Field Championships 800m race while 34 weeks pregnant. The news went viral, stirring up all sorts of opinions and outcries on the internet. Montano, who consulted her doctor and received the OK to run, was praised by many (including other pregnant women) for inspiring them to get in shape and condemned by others for being reckless with her unborn child.
I believed that the fuss about Montano was because she challenged traditional perspective about women and pregnancy. The opinion that women are supposed to “take it easy” when pregnant is standard. It makes sense because there is a growing and developing human being in their womb, and disturbances may cause things to go wrong. However, running the 800m-race 30-something seconds behind her personal best may have been considered “taking it easy” for Montano. She is a professional runner and has subjected her body to tough training. So a mere two minutes plus run probably doesn’t even register as a disturbance to her body.
The news coverage on Montano caused me to think about perceptions, notably my perspectives on technology, social media and the internet, which I’ve shared in my past Thinkbox contributions. As a parent and someone who grew up in a generation where television was black-and-white, my perspectives are a bit traditional, or you might say, “old-fashioned”. I am used to getting things done via face-to-face conversation, not text messages or video chats. Meetings are conducted around a table, not in front of a flat-screen or webcam. School is a place people attend in person. Students carry books, not tablets, and notes are taken by hand, not typed on a laptop or recorded on a smartphone.
Because I was born, raised and matured without the internet, I’ve learned to know technology as an adult. Compared to the Millennial kids, seeing points of views through my eyes would naturally be different than through theirs. Take, for example, online gaming. It’s hard for me to understand why kids and young adults prefer to sit in front of a screen and press buttons for hours. Wouldn’t playing outside or meeting up with friends be more fun?
If I asked someone from the technology-prone generation who loves online gaming, that person would say that the appeal of playing games is having fun with friends. Why bother getting dressed, going outside and getting stuck in traffic only to spend money on food or activities and get stuck in traffic again on the way home? It’s much easier to stay in the comfort of home and play a game. Conversations can be conducted through a headset. No money is wasted on taxis or food. And it’s not so important to meet face-to-face on the weekends, because meeting face-to-face at school is plenty.
Online games are tech kids’ way of being social. I admit that there is a lot of truth in their reasoning. There is beauty in the convenience that technology brings, and the new generation is making full use of it. They are using technology to define new social norms.
For the younger generation who grew up with computers and smart devices, technology feels like a natural part of life. Try giving a 12-year-old a new iPhone. Within a few minutes, the kid has already adjusted the phone’s settings, downloaded games and apps, explored its features and told their friends about it. To them, technology is a giant playground to be explored. To members of the pre-internet generations, technology does not feel as comfortable. I treat computers and smart devices more like tools. There is nothing natural about learning how to use them; it takes effort. For me, there is no such thing as a “user-friendly interface”.
How Millennials or Generation Zs use technology to redefine traditional perspectives is not necessarily negative. Sometimes it’s a necessity or an adaptation driven by the changing environment. Technology has changed how we listen to music (from records to tapes to instant streaming), the way we communicate and interact (from landlines to mobile phone to video chat) — and its influence will only grow stronger.
It may be perplexing for the older generations to understand how the younger generation sees the world at times. But trying to force them into a mould created by the experiences and environments of yesteryear makes even less sense. The world is continuously changed by the new generations. Currently, key decision-makers, CEOs, leaders, movers and shakers may be the people who grew up in pre-internet world. But the majority of innovators and start-ups are people who are born into the internet world, i.e. the Millennials and soon, the Generation Zs.
I think it’s important to understand that it may not always be possible to apply traditional perspectives when it comes to technology. The definition of what is “normal” is slowly changing. But completely letting go, allowing the younger generations to find their own way, is not an entirely productive approach, either.
I have faith in the younger generations. They have the potential to achieve bigger and better things through their mastery of technology. I believe that the key to unlocking their future is for the older generations to understand their perspectives. The trick is not to concentrate on whose perception is right and whose is wrong, but to recognise and understand the cause and effect to properly create the right motivation that would move the younger generation in a positive direction.
Prapai Kraisornkovit is the editor of Life section of the Bangkok Post.