The first text message I ever received from my mother was about 18 months ago and it took her 30 minutes to compose. It read like this: INGRID+HAS+SHOWN+ME+HOW+TO+TEXT.
Clearly Ingrid had not shown her how to de-activate Caps Lock, nor the revelation of the space bar. She abandoned text messaging soon after, save the occasional oddity that I occasionally receive, such as “Do you need wig”, when I recently had my hair cut. My father on the other hand adores text messaging and e-mailing—.using two fingers.
Parental usage of text messaging is far from unusual I know – save the fact that my parents are both over 60 years old-what distresses me far more is the recent surge in parents joining Facebook. Presumably they see it as a convenient way to stay in touch with their offspring via the world wide web. Personally I see it as everything unsavoury about university displayed in technicolour glory on their child’s Facebook profile. I have warned my parents that in no circumstances would I ever become their friend on Facebook: I am their daughter, there is no need for me to also be their virtual friend. I can’t imagine anything more unpalatable than receiving a call from my mother enquiring ask to why someone has written something mildly offensive on my Facebook wall; did I do something to upset them? Should she ring their mother to see if she can sort out our disagreement? (She used to do this when I was 4. She still thinks she can solve everything with the assertive tone of her telephonic voice, even with an employer.)
My siblings and I get calls every day from my mother on how to work the DVD machine/ printer/ her digital camera. Her absolute refusal to read the instruction manual is almost comical. Amongst the parental generation exists a widespread distrust in instruction manuals and small silver buttons. As youths, we possess the magic touch to chivvy these gadgets into working but my mother is convinced that one touch of her capable hand will cause the instrument to spontaneously combust. My brothers and sisters gave her an expensive digital camera for her birthday last year, which she smashed on the floor the week after. The printer ejects pages of faded yellow script, as she doesn’t know how to change the printing cartridges. In short, the cacophony of electronics that she is surrounded by muddle her mind in a way that embroidery and gardening never have yet she is loath to admit defeat.
Gadgets and gizmos used to be reserved for the “youf’ of today. Now there are OAPs going “on the line” (as my grandfather calls it) and my two-year-old niece knows how to work a television control. Anything new used to be treated with suspicion, followed by intrigue. The Guardian reported last week that there is a “psychological barrier to overcome,” in order for older generations to assimilate themselves with the techno-centric world. I see less evidence of this and more evidence of a terrifying new world where our parents-and even grandparents – know more about Ebay than we do.

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