Influence on Communication by Generation Gap

http://www.medleynews.com/relationship/what-is-generation-gap-1365.html



Generation Gap in my own interpretation is the period between two or more generations which differ in how they view the world and perform socially in that particular time.''The generational gap is and was a term popularized in Western countries during the 1960s referring to differences between people of a younger generation and their elders, especially between children and parents''.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_gap

In the book titled ''Mind the Gap!'' by  Graeme Codrington, certain generations are given names to specify which generation a person belongs. Those who were born in and around the period 1920s are referred to as the ''old generation'' and the generation which was born around and after the First World War whic was around the 1940s are classified as ''baby boomers''. Those who fall in the period around the 1970s are called ''generation X'' , and lastly the generation which came after ''generation X'' which fallS in the period of 1990s and 2000s are called the ''millennium generation.''

Every generation has its own view and interpretation of the world around. As the world evolves in terms of generally excepted norms and values by people belonging to a certain generation, we must not forget the impact on communication the different generations are causing on each other as the decades pass. For us to acknowledge the existence of a gap between the generations it means we recognise the challenges and most importantly the influences the generational gap has on communication. Phrases such as, ''i do not understant my teenage son and his type of choice in music'' or ''grandpa you too slow for me'' or ''you youngsters have no respect these days'' are common phrases expressed and verbalized by the frustrated yet so different generations when one a member of a certain generation interacts with other members of another generation.
I would like to argue the point that the influence on communication by the generation gap is the reduction of communication quality and adaptability to misunderstandings of communication without any desire to drive home the intended message.

Personalised values and perceptions which are mostly subjective during sensory analysis of a situation, maybe blamed for the existence of misunderstandings and therefore misinterpretation is created as a result and thus this leads to a communication quality reduction. In my opinion when communication between the generations is compromised in terms of misunderstandings and misinterpretations, chances are high for generational intolerance to formulate. Therefore it is crucial for a ‘’communicational compromise’’ from any side of the two interacting generations if any form of communication is to take place sidelining individualistic values and perceptions of the other.
 In 2005 I attended a seminar at the University of the Western Cape on HIV/AIDS presented by one of the resident lecturers. At the seminar it was highlighted that the effects of HIV/AIDS on the creation of a wider generation gap in south Africa due to massive loss of life especially among the ‘’generation X’’ which was born around the 1970s time period has already commenced. It was said that those who lost their lives to the Aids pandemic in South Africa , are the uncles and aunts of the ‘’millennium generation’’ and they were the younger siblings to the ‘’baby boom generation’’. The effect of such a massive loss of a generation on communication is visible in parent and child frustrations with each other, the increase in teenage suicides and the lack or fear of children confiding in their parents has resulted as an outcome. Once again communication quality is compromised. These effects were attributed to a cultural and societal norm and perception of seeing uncles and aunts ‘’generation X’’ as a bridging human instrument in terms of communication between parents and their children. The important role ‘’generation X’’ served in the South African context was being almost the closest person to communicate with who will be more understanding to both parent and child.

We cannot blind ourself from an existing reality that in current South Africa and globally that the quality of communication between different generations has changed.From the above findings one can formulate an informed intellectual conclusion that indeed generational gaps have a direct influence on communication.