The Generation of Communication

In speaking with a friend the other day about her lesson plan for our college group, I explained that our group does best with lessons full of interaction. Her response was that she's found that to be true about most college students. As I thought about it more, I realized that this isn't only characteristic of our small group of 18 to 25-year-olds; rather, this is characteristic of our generation.

We crave the interaction in all parts of life--we Facebook, tweet, instant message, blog, text message, e-mail, etc. It's ingrained in the general masses of my age group--and it's how we grew up. We consider it a rarity to hand-write a letter, make phone calls to check on friends and family and to drive to the store to see if they have something in stock. No, we send "e-letters" (even e-cards), text our friends and family and check a store's inventory on their web site.

So my question is this: where's the balance?

Should we move forward without looking back at the habits of previous generations? I mean, shouldn't we take advantage of the rich variety of technology at our fingertips? Or, should we cling to old traditions and incorporate them into our daily activities? Afterall, these traditions are considered, by some, to be the richest characteristics of our past.

Where's the balance?