Boomer Generation Shapes the Future of Technology

Video: AARP/The Atlantic Technology Symposium

AARP recently sponsored a forum with The Atlantic on the future of technology—and how it will shape and be shaped by the Boomer generation.

People are not substituting technology for ‘real’ life, says Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project. If you’re social and successful in the analog world, that can carry over to the digital realm, and vice versa.

Generations and their gadgets

Many devices have become popular across generations, with a majority now owning cell phones, laptops and desktop computers. Younger adults are leading the way in increased mobility, preferring laptops to desktops and using their cell phones for a variety of functions, including internet, email, music, games, and video. This infographic shows the percentage of adults in each generation who own each of the gadgets we asked about in our September 2010 survey.

These findings are based on a survey of 3,001 American adults (ages 18 and older) conducted between August 9 and September 13, 2010. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish, and the survey included 1,000 cell phone interviews.

For more information, including gadget ownership trends over time, please see the main report, “Generations and their gadgets.”

Tags: Infographics ebooks Tablet computers mp3 players mobile generations gaming Gadgets

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May 11, 2010

The Rise of Networked Individuals: The Millennial Tide

The online world is as varied as people are varied in their moral views, their economic circumstances and their social structures. In the video above, Director Lee Rainie discusses social, economic, and political trends especially among the younger generation that have given rise to a new and emerging class of networked citizens at Google’s Mountain View, CA headquarters.