Ryan Suh '21
I N T E R S E C T I O N S
A vast global network connecting billions of electronic devices all around the world, the Internet is arguably one of the greatest and most used inventions of our time. It allows people to contact and communicate with each other at any time from any place through a simple connection. The Internet’s infrastructure lets you buy products and services online, stream different forms of media, email faraway relatives and friends, and even find answers to nearly any question imaginable through search engines. Before the Internet was established, in-person interaction was the primary and most reliable method of communication. Unlike letters, which could be easily lost, and telegraphs, which could not easily express complex messages, face-to-face communication has and continues to be more convenient and efficient. Given the gradual transition from the predominance of in-person communication to the ever-expanding uses of online interaction after the discovery of the Internet, it is only natural to wonder how people interact online compared to in-person and what implications can be drawn from the resulting similarities or differences. More specifically, this paper will analyze the generalized perspectives of two generations through the interviews of “Jane,” a 17-year-old female, and “Joe,” a 52-year-old male, to delve deeper into pre-Internet versus post-Internet times through these respective viewpoints. These perspectives will come from anonymous, in-person interviews that were conducted, which will serve as generalizations for their respective generations.
Jane is a part of the first generation to grow up in a world dominated by the growth of technology. This has significantly impacted how she and others of her age group view online interaction in comparison to in-person communication. . Specifically, Jane understands the benefits of the accessibility and privacy of online encounters while maintaining a clear wariness of the possible harm brought about by such encounters. Given that she spends approximately 43 hours weekly online, most of which is spent communicating with others through email, texts, phone calls, and school-related responsibilities, she often feels “disconnected” from others if forced to communicate through online means for an extended period. This sense of physical, emotional, and social isolation has only been exacerbated by the pandemic and the introduction of online school, resulting in even greater exposure to online interaction. Although the idea of being able to connect with people more readily is appealing to Jane, she pointed out the often anonymous nature of online interactions, especially on social media, as pernicious towards developing actual relationships with other people. In contrast, she views in-person interactions as an opportunity for meaningful, deep connection-building. By being able to see their facial and vocal reactions in “real-time,” she explains that there is a factor of “authenticity” inherent in face-to-face communication that is just not present in online communication. This mindset regarding these two different forms of interactions reflects Jane’s generation’s view of the Internet and other means of virtual communication as a double-edged sword that can efficiently craft and maintain connections between people regardless of location at the risk of introducing an element of superficiality. Overall, due to their immersion in an unprecedented environment that incorporated both online and in-person interaction, Jane and her peers have realized that the former can stunt emotional and social development with excessive use and that the latter is a far more positive form of communication, with opportunities to create genuine relationships between different people.
52-year old Joe and his generation, on the other hand, have had the distinctive experience of living in a world before the invention of the Internet and after online communication systems were established, forming their own perspectives regarding in-person and online interaction. Like Jane, Joe also prefers in-person rather than online interaction. Both for personal and work-related matters, Joe wholeheartedly chose face-to-face over online communication, as a “more meaningful rapport” could be established. Specifically, he believes that engaging all of his senses when meeting someone creates a richer experience and therefore a deeper connection. In addition, in terms of his occupation as a physician, he notes that his inability to conduct a preliminary physical and visual examination upon meeting patients in a telemedicine setting inhibits his evaluation of their mental and physical status. However, his understanding of online interactions and their components is fundamentally different from Jane’s due to his generation’s experience with the advancements of Internet-related technology. In contrast to the immersion in virtual means of communication experienced by Jane’s generation, Joe and his age group have lived their formative years without any form of online interaction. As a result, although he has had ample experience with online communication in his field of work, as an adult, he doesn’t have the same perspective of online interaction that can only be engendered by having access to related technology throughout one’s entire life. Notably, his first experience with the Internet and electronic devices came about in medical school, wherein he received his first email account and paperwork was beginning to be converted into online resources. Because he transitioned into using the online forms of communication, Joe saw electronic devices and their ability to transmit messages as tools, similar to how one may view a screwdriver or a saw. As a result, when discussing the negative effects of increased online communication due to the pandemic, the concept of mental health was not mentioned once by Joe. Rather, his ideas regarding the disadvantages of society’s increasing reliance on the Internet were centered around overusing the tools associated with online interaction, which in turn would lead to corporations stealing data and profiles from their customers for profit. This is markedly different from Jane’s emphasis on the possibility of the Internet harming her mental and social health, thereby indicating that for Jane’s generation, the Internet is less like a tool and more like a force to be reckoned with. Overall, Joe displays a strikingly similar yet different viewpoint when compared to Jane regarding in-person and online interaction.
As demonstrated by the interviews of Jane and Joe, there seem to be unmistakable similarities between their views on the positive aspects of in-person interactions, yet pronounced differences between their perceptions of online interactions. This provides some evidence in favor of the existence of a significant generational gap created solely due to the invention of the Internet and its associated systems. These differences in perspective ultimately result in the age groups of Jane and Joe employing online communication in different situations and with different mindsets.
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