Mason Gepp
Mason Gepp hopes his parents will get better at using technology, so he suggests they practice.
Two years ago my life was forever altered after I purchased the sleek, innovative, multi-functional iPhone. Besides using it as a phone, I constantly use it to stay connected to the world using the Internet, Facebook and email.
I am a fairly tech savvy person — seems you have to be nowadays. But my parents, and most people I know older than 50, seem to be technologically challenged. When an adult asks me if I know how to sync my iphone, download music or use a GPS, they sound like rhetorical questions — of course I do. To me, not knowing how to use these things sounds foreign because I grew up with them.
My parents used to ask me how to turn on the DVD player or how to use the TV remote control. Now, they want me to put music on their iPods or help them navigate their own iPhones. I can’t really say it’s entirely their fault that they are dependent on me, it’s all new to them. But it frustrates me sometimes. I wish they would make a stronger effort to learn the skills themselves. And let’s just say they’ve got a lot of catching up to do. I’m not saying my parents — or people in their generation — can’t figure out these devices, because I know plenty of parents who understand electronic gadgets better than I do. They just need to practice more than people my age. So, I’m willing to make a deal: I’ll help my parents copy a music CD, if they promise to take the time to learn how to do it themselves from now on.
