|
Theme
|
1966
|
2006
|
|
Information
access
|
The
information landscape was relatively barren and information was
relatively expensive, mostly being housed in the libraries, radio
and television and newspapers/magazines, which were mostly "filtered"
by a third party with a vested interest. |
The
information landscape is vast, based on multimedia and required
numerous new technologies in order to interact successfully with
it. Many information sources were primary sources or "actual/recorded
accounts" of events. Time delay between discovery and availability
reduces dramatically. |
|
Information
reliability
|
Non-politically
sensitive information was mostly reliable. Political systems carried
out most censorship and interpretation of incoming information.
Information increasingly variable in reliability. The ease of authorship
on the one hand has decreased the likelihood of focused political
interference but has increased the amount of variability in interpretation. |
Communication
Primarily communication for our young people was person-to-person
and oral. There was minimal written communication at the personal
level for most young learners. Communication, while still being
primarily oral, is increasingly text orientated with increasing
use of e-mail and text messaging. |
|
Decision-making
|
Few
decisions needed to be made by young people and where decisions
were required there were strict cultural guidelines to assist in
the decision-making process and plenty of adult help was available
(desired or not) in the process. |
Young
people are now having to make independent, decisions on a wide range
of issues including leisure, money, fashion, peer structures, employment,
sexual attitudes/activity, personal status etc. . . with most of
their guidelines coming from their peers and an artificial "entertainment
world". |
|
Family
structure
|
Predominantly
two parents in a (possibly superficially), stable relationship.
One parent, usually the mother, at home for a significant part of
the child's early development (up to 12 years of age). |
Depending
on the community there will be up to a 50% possibility that one
or either of the two caregivers will either not be present or will
not be their biological parent. Depending on the community there
will be up to a 60% chance that both parents will work |
|
Travel
|
Most
children did not travel much at all and if they did so it was inevitably
in the process of accompanying their parents due to changes in their
occupation/job. |
Many,
but certainly not all, children now travel considerably. Children
from higher income (more affluent) homes will probably have travelled
several times by plane to an overseas/interstate destination by
the time they are 14 years old. Children from lower income homes
will still travel considerably more than their peers of 40 years
ago. By way of this most, but not all children of today are more
aware of their geographical and cultural world they live in. |
