How Computers Are Transforming the Baby Boomer Nation
Posted September 18, 2007
Those in the postwar generation once rolled their eyes when its parents or grandparents would spin anecdotes that hinged on the absence of television, cheap mechanized transportation and air conditioning. But now they find themselves spanning perhaps the biggest technological divide in history.
Baby Boomers have robots sweeping the floor and chess software that beats the world’s greatest human player. They also have Microsoft Office, instant messaging, DVDs, iPods, BlackBerrys, Amazon, eBay, Google and credit cards that pay for chewing gum by means of infrared waves. Arguably, the best-known baby boomer of all is the computer itself. Like many boomers, the general-purpose computer was born in the years following World War II, grew up in a restrictive environment and went batty as a young adult. Now, like the generation it grew up alongside, the computer has assumed a leadership role, while still maintaining an unruly edge.
