Nov

30

Marching to the Internet

Posted by maureen

November 30, 2006 |

As a leading edge baby-boomer I grew up in England at a time of cultural revolution in what was known as the ‘Swinging Sixties” It was created and fueled by the youth of that era and caused a dramatic shift in attitudes by their creativity, free-thinking and expression. We revolutionized the way we looked and the music we listened to and questioned long held views on feminism and sexuality. This newfound freedom was born from an air of optimism, as the British economy was recovering from the post World War II rationing and austerity. It heralded a period where England dominated the international scene in fashion, music, and pop art. It was a powerful force much of the Western world followed. Some of the names associated with those years Carnaby Street and the Mini-Skirt are synonymous with that period. Other names became cultural icons in their fields: The Beatles, Twiggy and Mary Quant. Towards the end of the 60s music and fashion trends turned to the American west coast and “Swinging London” gave way to “Flower Power”. America’s youth had a different agenda. America saw one of their greatest achievements realized during the 60’s when they won the space race and man landed on the moon but it also witnessed the ongoing unpopular war in Vietnam and the untimely death of President Kennedy in 1963. America’s youth questioned the materialistic values of their elders and their opposition to the Vietnam War was growing. In 1969 The Woodstock Art and Music festival took place on a dairy farm in Bethel. Jimmy Hendrix headlined the event and, despite rain delays and technical difficulties, his performance of the Star Spangled Banner became a defining moment of the 1960’s It was perhaps the most famous rock concert and festival ever held and it exemplified the flower power hippies who believed they could change the war through rock music, drugs and “free love” When this didn’t happen they protested in the streets and in their songs. The Kent State massacre became front-page news when four students were killed and nine injured during a protest. Eight million students went on strike and closed hundreds of universities, colleges, and high schools. Pictures of the dead and wounded further increased sentiment for the anti-Vietnam war movement both at home and abroad. This was their cause. The youth on both sides of the pond brought forth changes that dramatically changed the world in which we live. This was the first time that youth had challenged the status quo in any real sense and made such a dramatic difference to our culture. This was our legacy. Today’s youth have a completely different agenda. They do not need to protest. Theirs is a quiet revolution, which began with the Internet and has pervaded the world of technology as a whole. The tech boom of the nineties was fueled by this generation. Young people today are technologically savvy and they speak a different language to their parents. Through it they will influence the technological changes for a generation. Their creativity and drive has changed the way we connect and communicate with each other. They will not accept the conventional wisdom of working at one job until they retire. Their expectations are different and they will have multiple careers in their lives. They see and visualize a world that we have trouble keeping pace with. The baby boomer’s children are the driving force behind this revolution. Our future is in their hands and I can hardly wait to see what they do with it.


Comments

2 Comments so far

  1. DigitalRich on January 29, 2007 8:01 am

    Maureen,

    Thank you for participating in the Carnival of the Storytellers.

    DigitalRich http://digitalrich.blogspot.com/2007/01/carnival-of-storytellers-2nd-edition.html

  2. CabSav on February 2, 2007 10:38 pm

    Hi Maureen

    I found your blog via Digital Rich’s blogging carnival. I can totally empathise with this. Sometimes the sixties, and all we worked for back then, seems only yesterday, other times it feels like more than a lifetime.

    I remember playing with the first PCs, introducing a very early (green screen) online shopping system, even programming with punched cards at work. I realise just how much things have changed when I have to get my twelve year old nephew to show me how to use my mobile phone—and they take time out from chatting online with someone from halfway around the world to do so.

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