The “Generational Discourse” Discourse
Posting from the 8th International Computer Ethics / Philosophical Enquiry (CEPE) conference in Corfu, Greece.
Today’s sessions have been an enlightening experience, particularly Fran Grodzinsky and Herman Tavani’s “Can the ‘Contextual Integrity’ model of privacy be applied to personal blogs in the blogosphere?” talk (which I had been looking forward to all week). While I took a lot away from the presentation and discussion, I left feeling a bit like a boxer thrown in the ring with one hand tied behind his back.
Underlying the entire talk (and explicitly driving a decent chunk of the discussion) was the loathsome “generational discourse” in its worst form: “Young people today don’t care about privacy.” Given the brief time allotted for discussion, I did not get a chance to engage the idea directly and was mostly reduced to venting my frustrations on Twitter. Now, however, I’d like to take a brief moment to push back with more than 140 characters. Consider this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance:”
Do not think the youth has no force, because he cannot speak to you and me. Hark! in the next room his voice is sufficiently clear and emphatic. It seems he knows how to speak to his contemporaries. Bashful or bold, then, he will know how to make us seniors very unnecessary.
That being said, I – as a young person online – would like to speak directly to the established minds in the fields of computer and information ethics, in whose presence I have been much humbled this weekend:
Understand that this “generational discourse” is not ours – it is wholly yours. In that sense, there is no generational discourse. There is no discourse between the generations of digital immigrants and digital natives on issues of privacy and context online. It is nothing more than a one-sided belief circulated among older academics that undermines critical discussion of the changing relationship between all people (not just young people) and increasingly pervasive information technologies. Do not assume we don’t care. Do not assume, as Emerson put it, that we have no force. Bashful or bold, let’s kill this “generational discourse” and replace it with a genuine discourse between the generations – one that assures open and dynamic discussion of the value of privacy in today’s information society.
+1, with one general comment and one slight caveat
General comment: your (and Emerson’s) examples seem to fit a larger pattern, where members of a more powerful group often seem very comfortable (indeed almost obligated) to speak about, on behalf of, down to a less powerful group, and usually in terms that many members of that less powerful group find — not to put too fine a point on it — both breathtakingly clueless and breathtakingly presumptuous.
Slight caveat: Are there no ways in which that “generational discourse”, however sloppy, is highlighting something correct and/or important?
Interesting points, Tony. In my work, I’ve encountered another aspect of this discourse surrounding the young and their relationship to information technology, which, personally, I find much more problematic. The assumption that everyone under the age of 30 is a born information technology native, while common, is absolutely incorrect. The more I work with undergraduates, the more I see how incorrect this is, and that, unsurprisingly, information technology and literacy skills are most definitely a learned thing.
Unfortunately, convincing persons of a slightly older generation of the falsity of this assumption can be difficult at times. Even making them see that they’re making this assumption is hard. Doubly unfortunate is that this disconnect between perception and reality is having a negative impact on what college and university students are capable of wrt research and intelligent information gathering. So yes – dialog, dialog, esp. with persons of our in-between age acting as a translators, bridging that gap, is imperative.
Thanks for the great commentary.
Raina: I think you are right on about the mythical “digital natives” and the challenges facing us scholars who sit precariously between the young and those writing about the young.
Philosoraptor: I think you are correct to ask if there is something worthwhile to be taken away from this perceived gap between generations with regard to technology. If there is anything worth talking about, I would suggest it is in each group’s relationship to technology. What I mean by that is: many of the most brilliant and established scholars watched today’s powerful information technologies (and I usually focus my attention on the Internet) come into being. Young people have never lived in a time where these powerful ICTs did not exist. I would insist that there has to be something worthwhile in discussing what the impact of growing up alongside (or not growing up alongside) a tool like the Internet has developmentally. (I think this line of thinking has application beyond a generational one – it also speaks to digital divide issues).
Regarding privacy, I see it like this: an older generation grew up and generally formed their sense of identity apart from the Internet. So, when the Internet comes along it looks like a sort-of revelatory tool, depending on how much information one feeds it and allows it to reveal. Young people that have grown up with consistent access to the Internet, however, have never developed an identity that hasn’t included the Internet in some form. Rather than a separate tool, it is woven into the very fabric of who they perceive themselves to be.
This distinction means that, naturally, there will be differences in the ways different groups or generations value privacy or other issues. It doesn’t mean, however, that one group “cares” more than another – but that, then, plays into the discourse of power that you pointed out in your comment as well.
Also, philosoraptor, your general comment reminds me of another one of Emerson’s many (many many many) memorable quotations:
“There are always two parties; the establishment and the movement”
Thanks for keeping the conversation going. Are you planning to write a “CEPE wrapup/highlights” post? And is the next one (the next CEPE) in 2011?
Philosoraptor: I realize this comment is months and months late, but (as evidenced by the stagnation of this blog [which is soon to change! Promise!]) I never did a CEPE wrapup. Though I should have. *sigh*
However, CEPE 2011 will be in Milwaukee, WI! (Love it.)