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I think the early internet was beneficial until we got to the smartphone era where young people no longer wanted to learn facts or soft skills like reading a map, because they could look up whatever they wanted. The ability to communicate and learn outside of approved media was critical to breaking the information control practiced by the establishment. Gen X was critical in breaking through on this and not following the Boomers in their respect for TV news especially, which was so naive it was almost pathetic. You can still find Boomers who think Walter Cronkite gave them the whole story in an unbiased way. You can still see this in social media, although the younger generations are Boomer like in how easily they are manipulated, not because they are more trusting, but because they don't really know that much.

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These are good observations. I'm an early Xer myself. One of the most distinct differences I've always noticed between Boomers -- especially first-wave, 1946-55 Boomers -- and me is view of institutional power and authority. Those early Boomers are still committed to 'name-brand' institutions in a way I've never been. Perhaps this is a result of many Xers' first political memories being planted in the early to mid-70s; for example, my first awareness of anything political is Nixon's resignation.

Deference to authority is an especially difficult problem in the context of the institutional church. As a conservative/traditionalist, I don't want my church to be a free-for-all 'democracy'; that's neither Biblical nor sustainable. But I can't count the number of times when, as a long-standing lay leader in my church, I've chafed at our (previous) Boomer pastors signing on to institutional mandates and guidance that made no sense in the context of our own particular congregation.

I also agree that Millenials have meekly accepted institutional control of their social media selves in a way I find both depressing and yet inevitable. The megasites just make it so easy, and giving it all away seems so painless and even pleasant . . . .

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