Did you ever think you’d see the day when technology from The Jetsons was something of the past? Believe it or not, that day has come. The generation after Millennials—known as iGen—thinks The Jetsons’ tech devices are common day, even old. Learn what else you need to know to keep up with this new generation of techies.
Technological advances move so quickly that it seems as if there are new must-have electronics every few weeks. And as quickly as the new ones are introduced, the old ones become obsolete. However, there will always be certain hallmark technological advancements that define a generation and change how they – and ultimately the rest of the world – prefer to communicate.
It’s hard to deny that smartphones are the youngest generation’s most defining technological moment. A recent article from the New Yorker stated that iGen or Generation Z “is the demographic that has never known a world without smartphones.” And while other generations also essentially live their lives via smartphone, the youngest Millennials were already in their late teens when the first smartphones came to market in the late 2000s, so they definitely remember a time before them.
“Technology is only new if you remember it the way it was before,” Dorsey says in his recent TEDxHouston talk. Click here to watch Jason Dorsey’s TEDx talk on how iGen and GenZ communicate.
Perhaps this is why so many young people prefer newer mobile apps such as Instagram and Snapchat to Facebook. While Baby Boomers enjoy the novelty of posting pictures and connecting with their friends via Facebook and other more traditional social media platforms, the spark isn’t there for younger users anymore, who favor the instantaneous and of-the-moment.
But new technology goes far beyond social media and the Internet. To iGen, technology doesn’t just enhance your everyday life; it is your life.
“My daughter will never remember a time before you could look at the person on the phone while you’re talking to them,” adds Dorsey, about his four-year-old daughter Rya. “To her, the phone is broken if you can’t do this.” Dorsey notes that even the dial tone on a traditional landline phone freaks his daughter out!
Some of the first depictions of this type of video technology came to us in science fiction movies and television shows, perhaps most notably The Jetsons. Imagine showing The Jetsons to members of iGen? They’d think it was about the past!
And while our society may not have flying cars or meals in pill form, self-driving cars and genetically modified foods may be the modern equivalent.
“All generations will end up looking more like iGen than they will end up looking like us,” adds Dorsey. “Their decisions and attitudes are going to affect us all.” This includes technology, but also parenting, banking, education and the workforce.
For more groundbreaking insights on iGen, the generation after Millennials, watch Jason’s entire TEDxHouston talk here, and share your own insights with us at @WhatTheGen and @JasonDorsey!
