Digital Divide in Web Use and Learning.......

By Karl Kapp

There was an interesting posting by Business Week called What are People Doing? that clearly shows a difference between what baby boomers are doing on the web and what younger "gamers" are doing on the web.
For example: only 12% of young boomers (41 to 50) and only 7% of older boomers (51 to 61) and only 5% of 62+ people are creating content on the web. Meanwhile, 34% of young teens (12 to 17) and 37% of youth (18 to 21) and 30% of Gen Y (22 to 26) are creating content (check out the chart). There is a trend showing a difference in how the web is used among different ages.
So while everyone dislikes a boring lecture no matter what their age, not everyone creates dynamic, original content on the web...the trend is toward younger people (digital natives) creating web-based content for their use and others.
It would seem natural that they would also be more comfortable learning via technology than Generation X or Boomers and that they would want the design of learning to be more closely associated with the type of technologies they have grown up with (yes this includes video games).
It is not that they can't learn from books (in fact the thickest books of all time aimed at kids are selling like crazy...Harry Potter)...it is that they also see VALUE in learning through games and video game-like interfaces...this is where some boomers do not see any value...why not learn something from a lecture instead of a video game? What is the difference they ask...its the same and...at least in a lecture their is no goofing off, its all serious because learning is serious.
The difference is that boomers tend to see games as Non-Learning...just fun...not serious...where the gamer generation seems to be more comfortable with games as a form of learning. In fact, children have always learned through games...playing "school" teaches proper behavior, playing certain card games teach about numbers. As Tom Crawford quoted Thiagi
Q: Have you encountered any companies or cultures that do not accept game playing?

A: While there are cultural differences, here is an interesting fact: All human beings play games. There is no culture in the world that doesn't play games, other than some middle managers in Chicago who think it's beneath their dignity
But the truth is that kids google information as much as they look it up in a book, the truth is they are creators of content as much as they are consumers, the truth is they network via technology as much as they do face-to-face, the truth is valuable lessons can be learned in a video-game format.
To ignore those tendencies or differences does a serious disservice to those we Generation Xers and Boomers are trying to train (so they can fit into the boomer dominated hierarchal structure...which, by the way, is crumbling under an information dominated world, that is non-hierarchal.)
As the world changes from when we have grown up...from the static one-way communication of television to the dynamic two-way content creation of the web, our training programs must also change. We cannot keep doing the same trainings and expect to get the same results...it will not work and our trainees will just sit in class and check their email during our dynamic lectures on safety.

Advertising

Advertising, in our country, has got its history rooted down in late 60s when television came into being. Television channels without advertisements or commercials, to us now, would look live less. TV commercials are said to be the charms of television transmission. Such a charm less state went from 1964 until the first television commercial was made in 1967 for a detergent soap 707. General Manager of Karachi TV Aslam Azhar was asked to make a commercial for that soap, to be aired in Pakistan television of both the western and eastern part. The seven-second commercial showed a lady holding up the soap after washing clothes and saying, "Mai to janu sidhi baat, sabun ho to saat so saat". No conventional ad-agencies or affiliates were there to devise the mechanism.

The state remained plain and simple until, In the 1980s, when there was a revolution in the commercial trends thanks to the involvement of youngsters in the ad industry. One must mention the name of Afzal Hossain in this regard. Through his creative productions, he offered a new profession, a new type of artistes known as models. Today advertisement has become a very big business in our country.

Nowadays ads and ad-making has been one great medium of television challenges. The second revolution came when use of even sophisticated technicalities, procedures and creative thinking were adopted. Last couple of years; we have witnessed some of the finest works in our ad-industry ever, thanks to some adman with flair.

Making waves in the ad film world is today's one of the young energetic and creative ad-maestro Amitabh Reza Choudhury, who popularized the 35mm camera giving viewers a veritable feast. Thus, while they may quickly switch channels when an ad appears, they remain glued to Amitabh's ad films. Take for instance, the commercials for Lab Aid, Grameen Phone, Djuice, Banglalink Toshiba Color Television and some numerous unique creations. While running up the hill he says 'the best is yet to come'.
Amitabh Reza studied in BAF Shahin School and College before going to Poona University, Pune for his economics degree. He ventured into making films from his childhood passion, which he made into profession.
What sets Amitabh apart from his counterparts? For one, his ads include soulful music accompanied by meaningful lyrics, which is catchy and echoes in the minds of viewers. Not only this, he scores on the quality of picture, imaginative camera work and neat editing -- in short his ads are a total quality package.
And now without lingering my words leeks take a sneak peak into one of his exclusive show reel.