Sociology Essay: Generational Differences - My Generation vs Parents

This essay provides a point-to-point comparison between the author's generation and their parents' generation, highlighting key differences across several domains. The essay begins by discussing the impact of technology, particularly communication and its advancements from the time of the author's parents to the present day. It then moves on to explore the evolution of education, contrasting the traditional classroom settings and physical libraries of the past with the online learning resources and virtual libraries available today. Furthermore, the essay delves into the differing value systems, including discussions on moral standards and the impact of the internet. Finally, the author concludes that although their parents' generation may have had some advantages like healthy lifestyles, the current generation benefits from technological advancements and global interconnectedness.

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My generation and that of my parents
My generation and that of my parents
Student name
Name of institution
Lecturer
Submission date
Method of comparison: Point-to-point method of comparison

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My generation and that of my parents
There is a stark difference between my generation and that of my parents in varied ways.
We live in very different time zones and as such, we espouse very varied value systems. Our
generation today has the benefit of the conveniences of life like the internet that enables fast
communication across the globe, transport technologies among others. I prefer the generation we
live in today despite the myriad challenges we have to confront in society.
Although the generation of my parents enjoyed longer life expectancy because of healthy
lifestyles that included healthy eating, they did not enjoy the cutting edge technology that
enables the solution of problems in the world that have been occasioned by technology (O’neil
2015). Today, for example, research has made diagnosis and treatment of diseases easier, a thing
the generation of my parents could only dream about. Surgeries are today done remotely, thanks
to modern technology.
The explosion of the communication technology has brought about dynamic interaction
across the world. As much as there was rudimentary use of modern technology during my
parents’ time, the dynamism brought about by technology today is revolutionary (Vachris and
Isaacs, 2017). Through the social media like WhatsApp, interaction is now enabled at any time
across the globe. In my parent’s time, traditional mailbox through the post office was the
common means for communication and it would take many days to deliver a message. With
regard to communication and medical technology, my generation is better than that of my
parents.
Regarding education, the generation of my parents attended classroom physically and did
research using the physical library (Bor et al., 2013). This system of education made them to

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My generation and that of my parents
interact closely with each other and as a result, formed rich bonds of culture. However, their
worldview remained limited. My generation on the other hand espouses a hybrid culture that
comes from a mix of many modern cultures (Ritzer and Stepnisky, 2017). Widened worldview
because of a culture of tolerance makes my generation better prepared as citizens of the world.
The internet has opened wide possibilities for our time by providing forums though
which learners can retrieve and share vast amount of resources from virtual libraries and online
learning sites like Moodle and Learn. This has made learning not only fun but also enriched it.
Education and learning has been enriched in our generation as opposed to my parents’
generation.
Members of the generation of my parents often complain about the erosion of moral
standards in persons of our time. Although the internet is responsible for the moral decay we see
in society today, it has also opened avenues where people can seek information and guidance
without while maintaining anonymity. The generation of our times benefits from wide array of
resources through the internet while maintaining anonymity.

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My generation and that of my parents
References
Bor, J., Herbst, A. J., Newell, M. L., & Bärnighausen, T. (2013). Increases in adult life
expectancy in rural South Africa: valuing the scale-up of HIV
treatment. Science, 339(6122), 961-965.
O'neil, P. H. (2015). Essentials of Comparative Politics: Fifth International Student Edition.
WW Norton & Company.
Vachris, M. A., & Isaacs, J. P. (2017). The Role of Cultural Values in the Formation and
Survival of Pro-Growth Institutions. Journal of Private Enterprise, 32(1), 89.
Ritzer, G., & Stepnisky, J. (2017). Modern sociological theory. SAGE Publications.