Zoom Fatigue? Why We Need the Under-30 Crowd More Than Ever!
My world was rocked recently. One of my students said one little sentence that grabbed my attention and shook it like a dog battling for his bone.
I was in a Zoom conversation with some grad students. We were chatting about technology and small groups, particularly how they develop, evolve and grow. And that’s when he said it. He had a large survey of various ages in his church and had come to an alarming conclusion:
“The under-30 crowd have no issues with digital formats and cyber communication.”
At first glance that might not seem too revolutionary. Okay, so what? But don’t overlook the “no issues” part. That’s what rattled my brain. I think he’s right. And that’s a huge problem. Think about it. Who’s making most of the critical choices and definitive decisions right now in your business, your school, your organization or your church? My guess is that person or those persons are all over the age of thirty.
Ouch. Do I have your attention now? Good.
For those born since 1990—the Net, iTech and emerging Robo Generations—there is little to no disturbance in their worlds when it comes to learning or working or interacting via the Internet.
You can’t say that about the older generations. I work with two life groups through my church. We moved to Zoom for our gatherings nearly a month ago and I still have hold outs. I still have people who inform me they prefer “live and in person” events. They don’t want to use digital formats and diss cyber communication. I have a few that refuse to get on Facebook and a couple who claim they don’t have the technology to connect (they do but they don’t want to learn how to use it).
I hear no such complaints from the under-30 crowd. They’re not just surviving in this new Covid-19 cyber cultural landscape, they are thriving. It’s like they were made for a streaming cloud culture and, in a way, they were.
The Internet is their utility. Online is their highway. Digital is their format.
The Visual Generations were born between 1940 and 1990. They grew up tattooed by television tech. The Personal Computer/Cell Phone generation (b. 1980-2000) is a bridge generation. The older members of this cohort tend to retain their visual preferences while the younger ones lean toward the digital. These latter individuals are currently all under 30.
Visual generations matured with technology that arrived visually.
They learned, worked, worshipped, played and interacted via the “eye” gates. They channeled their entertainment through a tube. They consumed video games like Pacman dots. They dined on cable television’s increasing menu. Its why visual generations can struggle with digital formats, even digital visual formats like Zoom, Facetime and other video chat technologies. The visual generations—influenced by television (satellite, cable) and television parallel techs (video games, VCR/DVR)—prefer a world through a screen.
They want to watch and learn, watch and worship, watch and do business. And they prefer in-person (touch) events, classes, services and activities.
Digital formats are too fast and fluid for these visual generations. The older the person, the more they struggle to handle the bits and bytes of our cyber culture. It’s probably why we don’t want them necessarily calling all the shots right now. The best thing a school or business or church could do is hire someone under-30 to help them navigate these virtual worlds. My younger students show little “Zoom” fatigue, for example. My older students do. Younger generations swim naturally in this fast and fluid streams. They fly free in cloud technologies. Those over 30 are proving they can adapt, even adopt with limitation, but it’s not a natural thing.
The older you are, the harder you have to work to learn, play and worship online.
This Covid-19 virus is opening a new box without corners, walls, tops or bottoms. Actually it’s reimagining a world without boxes. We’ve all seen this day coming.
And the under-30 crowd is handling it just fine.
They were born for this moment.
Maybe we need to listen to them.
years that guide our generational frames more than anything else, not the day we were born.We are generations of technology. We are GenTech.
Join us for this tour from Jun 2 to Jun 29, 2020!
Book Details:
Book Title: GenTech: An American Story of Technology, Change and Who We Really Are by Dr. Rick Chromey
Category: Adult Non-fiction 18 yrs +, 328 pages
Genre: History / Cultural & Technical History
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Release date: May 26, 2020
Content Rating: G : This is a non-fiction book about our technical history and how it has shaped our culture.
Book Description:
Every twenty years a new generation rises, but who and what defines these generations? And could current generational tags mislead and miss the point? In this insightful analysis of technology history since 1900, Dr. Rick Chromey offers a fresh perspective for understanding what makes a generation tick and differ from others. Within GenTech, readers learn how every generation uniquely interacts with particular technologies that define historical temperament and personality and why current generational labels are more fluid than fixed, and more loopy than linear. Consequently, three major generational constellations emerge, each containing four, twenty-year generations that overlap, merge, and blend:
- The Audio Generations (1900-1950):
Transportation-Telephone Generation (1900-1920), Motion Picture Generation (1910-1930), Radio Generation (1920 1940), Vinyl Record Generation (1930-1950) - The Visual Generations (1940-1990): Television Generation (1940-1960), Space Generation (1950-1970), Gamer Generation (1960-1980) and Cable Television Generation (1970-1990)
- The Digital Generations (1980-2000): Personal
Computer-Cell Phone Generation (1980-2000), Net Generation (1990-2010), iTech Generation (2000-2020), and Robotics Generation (2010-2030). Dive in and revel in this exciting, compelling, and novel perspective to understanding recent American generations with GenTech.
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Meet the Author:
Rick Chromey is a cultural explorer, social historian and generational futurist. He’s also served as a pastor, professor, speaker/trainer, and consultant. In 2017, he founded MANNA! Educational Services International to inspire and equip leaders, teachers, pastors, and parents. Rick has a doctorate in leadership and the emerging culture; and travels the U.S. and world to speak on culture, faith, history, education, and leadership topics. He has authored over a dozen books on leadership, natural motivation, creative communication, and classroom management. He lives with his wife, Linda, in Meridian, Idaho.
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