Bridging the communication gap between Generation Y and the Baby Boomer generation

Abstract

Interpersonal communication has changed since the inception of the internet. Face-to-face communication moved to computer-mediated communication (CMC). CMC users are mostly younger people such as Generation Y. They are comfortable with using digital interactive technologies for communication. The Baby Boomer generation, on the other hand, values face-to-face communication. The different ways of communication causes conflict between these two generations. The research question is: ‘How can the generational communication gap between the Baby Boomer generation and Generation Y be closed in order to allow them to have meaningful interpersonal communication?’ The research was done through a literature review within the cues-filtered-out approach, using the social presence theory. The conclusion is that the meaning of messages is often compromised in CMC because of the lack of nonverbal cues and social presence, however rather than not communicating, people should communicate via digital media to meet some of their relational needs.