Tech by Generation: You’re a Child of the…

You’ve probably noticed that once you’re out of school, it can get a bit harder to make new friends. It turns out there’s a scientific reason for that.

Researchers say there are three conditions required for a real friendship to form: proximity; repeated, unplanned interactions; and a setting where each person can let down their guard. These requirements are easy to meet in school, where you’re forced to interact repeatedly with people your own age, often in stressful circumstances.

But as you get older, those circumstances don’t come about quite as often. The only people you see on a frequent, unplanned basis tend to be those at work and at home. That’s why it can be so difficult to make friends when you’re older: you have to purposely and deliberately create those circumstances to build a friendship.

If you’re stuck seeing the same people day after day, the best way to meet new people is to pursue your own hobbies and interests, like technology. If you meet someone who also loves computers and can’t live without the Internet, you’ll find you can speak the same lingo.

And if you grew up with the same technology, you can share nostaligic memories of your first home computer, your favorite computer game as a child, or your now cringeworthy first social media profile.

Are your first computer memories of learning programming on a Commodore 64, saving to floppy disks on a Macintosh XL, or exploring Encarta on a Packard Bell with Windows 95? Did you grow up playing Oregon Trail, Carmen Sandiego, or Angry Birds? Was your first internet connection a screechy 90s dialup, or high speed Internet?

The more technology evolves and becomes more essential to our lives, the more nostalgic it will be to look back on the tech we grew up with. And whether you’re a child of the 60s, to 00s or anywhere in between, the technology we grow up with always has a lasting impact on us as individuals.

Check out how your generation matches up below, and see who else shares your answers. You just might be surprised at how much you have in common!

You’re a Child of the…

Are you a child of the: ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, or 2000’s?

• You are a child of the ’60s if..
  • You grew up with the very first video game console (the Brown Box), the first lasers, the first light emitting diodes (LEDs), and the first computer mouse.
• You are a child of the ’70s if..
  • You grew up with disco, the new color TV, the Apple II computer, and the Atari 2600.
• You are a child of the ’80s if..
  • You discovered the wonder of: the microwave, the VCR, the Nintendo NES, the Sony Walkman, and the CD player. Chances are, you may have even had a teddy ruxpin.
• You are a child of the ’90s if..
  • You discovered the wonder of: the cell phone, the Nintendo Gameboy, the laptop computer, digital pets like Tamagotchi and Nano Pets, and Power Wheels.
• You are a child of the 2000s if..
  • You grew up with USB flash drives, Flip video cameras, DVD players, Nintendo Wii, DVR, and tons of other great tech gadgets.

KeriLynn Engel

KeriLynn is a content marketing specialist and writer at Awesome Motive. Before that, she worked as a freelance writer for various websites. She is an advocate for domestic abuse victims and has way too many hobbies. KeriLynn lives in Connecticut.

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