What's Happening?
A series of videos featuring a teenager attempting to identify items from the 1980s has gone viral, showcasing the generational gap in knowledge about past technologies and cultural artifacts. Brian Benson,
a 53-year-old father, decided to test his daughter Skyler's knowledge of the 1980s by asking her to identify items such as the Yellow Pages, a Rolodex, and the concept of a collect call. Skyler's humorous and imaginative guesses, such as thinking the Yellow Pages might be a boy band and a Rolodex something akin to rollerblades, have captivated audiences on Instagram, garnering nearly half a million likes. The videos, which began as a fun family activity, have sparked widespread interest and appreciation for Skyler's creative reasoning, despite her answers being incorrect.
Why It's Important?
This viral phenomenon underscores the rapid pace of technological and cultural change over the past few decades. The humorous disconnect between Skyler's interpretations and the actual functions of these items highlights how quickly once-commonplace technologies can become obsolete and forgotten by newer generations. This serves as a reminder of the importance of documenting and preserving cultural history, as well as the need for intergenerational communication to bridge knowledge gaps. The widespread engagement with these videos also reflects a broader societal interest in nostalgia and the ways in which past eras are perceived by those who did not experience them firsthand.
What's Next?
The popularity of these videos may inspire similar content from other families and creators, potentially leading to a trend of exploring generational knowledge gaps through social media. This could foster greater understanding and dialogue between different age groups, as well as provide entertainment and educational value. Additionally, the interest in such content might encourage media platforms to develop more programming that explores historical and cultural themes in engaging ways.
