Archive for January 8th, 2011
The Generations, Cadence, and Dropping Out
This is simply an observation. It’s the observation that at some point, in the world of society, culture, innovation, technology, and the daily “taken for granted” reality of how people operate or conduct themselves in the world, some people “fall off the map”. And, by this I mean that their recognition is diminished - even when they are duly fully present in their physical existence.
Being not recognized means that you slide into a state of a sort of personal irrelevancy as judged by new product development, communication channels, marketing messages, and common ways of working, thinking, and communicating that operate on a daily basis. Perhaps you even become irrelevant to your (former) close friends. Ed Yourdon has something to say about this and is quoted later in this posting.
Why do some people “drop out”? That it is the case is true – the research and statistics are in. But why is it the case? What is the cause?
The Cadence of Society, Culture, and Life
Aren’t we all “on the same page”? We live day after day, month after month, year after year, decade after decade. There is a cadence to the thing. Those who have been living the longest should be the most adept at the cadence. Why do some people fall off the cadence? At what point do you say that the game, the race, or the walk is over? At what time do you “drop out”? More importantly, why do you drop out? Once you drop out and lose the cadence of the society or culture in which you are embedded and must live then you become – in societal terms – irrelevant. The rest will move on and leave you behind.
Why does technology leave some people behind? And why is this related to age?
