Having studied this phenomenon further I discovered an interesting statistic. If you are 10 years old or less, the chances are you have had at least the same amount of computer flying hours as someone who is 50 or more. At 5 and below you have no fear, because in part, you have not paid for the machine, and the thought of breaking it does not pose a threat. It is even unlikely to be a conscious thought! If you are 50 or above, and you have purchased the machine, you come with a mind set that says; a ?1000 expenditure is serious folding money and I'd better be careful I don't damage the machine. You are automatically inhibited and in many cases somewhat over-awed by the technology itself - you reach for the handbook! Children seldom use handbooks - they live in a ?crash and burn? world of trial and error, and more reassuringly, talking to their peer group, exchanging ideas and experience - learning by doing.

It is also interesting to reflect that if you are 50 years old then chances are that you are extremely busy and find it difficult to sit down and familiarise yourself with technology and simply play. Moreover you are fast running out of lifetime years to do this effectively. In contrast, at 10 years old you come equipped with a mind set that assumes you will dominate the technology. You also have an abundance of spare time and lifetime years in which to familiarise yourself and become competent. In short, the 50 year olds will never be able to keep up with the 10 year olds, they will be overtaken. We now have the situation where the generation gap is manifest in a 40 year lack of experience. So the people with the technological understanding and capability find decisions imposed upon them by people 40 years older with only a fraction of the capability.

Exposure to computers and related technologies is occurring at an earlier and earlier stage of life. The simplest teaching machines can now be bought for a few tens of pounds, and include voice synthesis, simple pictures and a good deal of interactivity. For many children the education and experience build-up for the information world starts before they are one year old. It is acquired in the same way that we learn to throw, write, walk, and eat. It is not an adjunct, something special, or something that is taught as a subject. It is subsumed like language and becomes completely intuitive. Not surprising then that these children at the age of 5 are feeling very comfortable with the technology and by the age of 10 are undeniably skilled and capable people. What chance then the 50 year old? Who knows? Perhaps we will be able to look forward to a sunset period of our lives where responsibility is subsumed earlier down the age structure so that we can have time to play too. One thing for sure, we will see more 5 year old consultants. Peter Cochrane holds the Collier Chair for the Public Understanding of Science & Technology at the University of Bristol. His home page is:
http://cochrane.org.uk