The Technology Generation Gap!

New medical research tends to confirm that the human brain does not stop developing in adolescence, but continues well into our 20s, according to investigators at the University of Alberta.

Brain Wiring Continues into Young Adulthood

I heard from my psychology courses that brain development stopped around age 26.

Well, as you learn things your brain grows more complicated. It continues to do this your whole life, unless you stop using it.

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I think this makes the most sense - I have noticed that there is peer pressure to stop being creative and to stop trying new things as I get older, and this could be heavily responsible for lowering blood flow to creative areas of the brain and therefore its decay.

“The digital attitudes and behaviors that Gen Y and Gen X are cultivating now will follow them as they age and will only be multiplied in the generations that follow them,” said Forrester Research consumer insights analyst Jacqueline Anderson. “Gen Y in particular is living and breathing a digital social life. In almost every online or mobile behavior, Gen Y leads the adoption curve. About two-thirds update or maintain a profile on a social networking site, which for them is a way to facilitate all social aspects of their lives.”

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So... I was already having trouble adjusting to texting and Facebook in 2006 when I was a Freshman in college. This year, we are adding Google Glass and Windows 8 as well as an increase in tablet and smart phone usage replacing laptops and desktops.

I am 27, but today I feel like I'm 90. By the time I'm 30, who knows what will be happening!

[size=-9]P.S. I am actually rather versatile and adaptable for my peer group, just not feeling it as much today.

I think it's just that humans are creatures of habit, if we can do the same thing as we've always been doing then we're comfortable. Learning about new technology is pushing us out of our comfort zone... Even when I was 15 I had trouble switching from Bebo to Facebook so I don't really think it's to do with age

I don't think you need to worry about Windows 8, I can't see it doing particularly well, it's awful

I personally dont buy that its age related. Some people just dont want to learn something new. Hell, my grandmother is the one who taught me how to build a PC.

I work in the tech support industry so i deal with all walks of life when it comes to technology. Some are over 50 and call me out on bad troubleshooting steps for reasons i hadnt thought of, others in the same age group need their hand held for every tiny thing, and resent the fact they have to do it.

I believe people make technology harder than it needs to be and i feel that everyone can learn it, if they really wanted to. Its just a matter of having the confidence to poke and prod. You may mess something up, but its always fixable. And i promise, nothing is going to blow up

People are naturally better at somethings, and worse at others. It takes all kinds. I can make tech do what i want most of the time, but i cant get something to grow to save my life.

DC

Originally posted by xDeadcowx
And i promise, nothing is going to blow up

Hehe, I've managed to make a PC or two catch fire before......

But you're right, I don't think that older people are necessarily bad with tech. My Dad is pushing towards 60 but is quite adept at most things, then again he did spend 25 years in the Army as an Electronics Engineer....On the flip side, I know people my own age and younger who would struggle to operate a DVD player...

Personally, I am almost 31 and consider my self quite savvy with tech I build my own computers and work in Telecoms, plus I like to have the latest hardware although I point blank refuse to use twitter and reluctantly use FB. I just don't see the need to constantly update people on every little thing you do...

Can't remember where I heard it, but basically the brain is just like a muscle. If you don't exercise it, it can't get stronger.

Not sure if age plays a part or not as I'm still a young buck compared to others but it's always made sense to me. Kinda like the part from 2012, which is probably a Chinese proverb, where the old monk is over-filling the young monks cup. The brain can only take in so much at a time but once it's been processed/stored there's always room for more. Like Jello .