Gen Y Speaks: I’ve been a digital native from young. Too bad my parents aren’t

My mother, a fish soup seller, signed up for Hawkers Go Digital. Hawkers Go Digital scheme by the Government to promote cashless and contactless payments with quick response (QR) numbers.

It was a simple decision, considering its ease of use, the health risks associated with the current pandemic, and a cash incentive thrown up by the Government.

Hawkers who record a minimum of 20 trades worth a minimum of S$1 a month can earn cash rewards of as much as S$1,500 (S$300 each month over five consecutive months).

My mom was not entirely convinced.

She was worried about a potential time limit before the cashless payment was debited from your bank account. She explained that cash flow is essential for hawkers due to regular supplier payments.

She was also concerned that the cashless system would be too complex for her to handle. She has not been a fan of technology and often avoids technology.

It took a while for a digital ambassador of the Government to calm her fears before she could participate.

The incident made me think about how my parents’ views towards technology are different from the attitudes of their digital native sons and what their childhood could be if they had access to the same technology that I’ve experienced.

My parents aren’t very elderly. My mom is 47, and my father, who was recently dismissed from his restaurant management job, is now helping out at my mum’s stall and is 53.

But they grew up in an era when the speed of technological advances wasn’t like the present pace. There was no smartphone; there was no internet or social networks. And most people use the internet.

My dad and mom had a lot of education. They didn’t have to utilize technology for a long time in their jobs,

As Facebook and WhatsApp arrived, my parents didn’t take them on immediately because they could not recognize the importance of these innovations to their lives.

It wasn’t until my sister and I used them that they caught my parents’ interest. My sister and I then created their Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, and WhatsApp profiles. We also showed them how to make use of these accounts.

They learned things very quickly, and it was helpful that their peers were also using these. My parents also had an incentive to master them.

My dad is more interested in exploring different technologies than my mom because of his adventurous nature. For instance, my dad is fond of capturing videos of himself while traveling and posting them along with other pictures on Facebook.

However, my mom rarely posts anything on Facebook b,  but she’s it to check out what her friends are posting and what shows in the Chinese News Feeds.

WhatsApp, however, has been a great help to my mother.

If, for instance, the quality of the fish a supplier supplies isn’t good enough, she’ll capture photos on her smartphone and then send the images to the supplier using WhatsApp. This is a lot more efficient than when she attempted to contact the supplier to discuss the issue.

However, she’s still wary of using PayNow or PayLah!, as she is concerned about sending money to the wrong person with an account with a mobile phone. Recent instances of faulty transfer only add to my mom’s distrust.

I’ve learned to accept that we all must adapt to technological advances at a pace that we’re at ease with.

Indeed, she’s not entirely opposed to technology. However, she has to be convinced of its advantages and benefits before adopting.

For me, I cannot imagine an existence without technology.

I can remember using Google for the initial time in 2008 when I was 11. It was to find updates regarding the historical United States presidential election.

When my parents were 11 and 11, they could never have thought of having information about the globe at their fingertips.

I am fortunate to have been raised in an internet age where access to information and news has allowed me to expand my perspective and become better aware and “woke”..” platforms like LinkedIn can also allow memes to network with senior colleagues and well-known figures from my various fields, which I keenly observe.

It was also through LinkedIn that I could find my first job last year. I was an associate researcher at Singapore General Hospital when a recruiter stumbled upon my profile.

In my job, I was often required to have doctors sign off certain documents. It was a challenge to reach them with the circuit breakers.

Fortunately, the digital signature feature within Adobe Acrobat Reader saved the day for me.

And who wouldn’t be without the tools to communicate, such as WhatsApp and WeChat these days?

Due to the closure of borders due to Covid-19, I’ve never been able to visit my grandmother in Malaysia. However, I am happy that I have contacted her using WeChat.

This made me think about my dad’s childhood in Singapore when he moved there in th80, at 13 years old, to work.

Due to the precarious financial situation at the time, calls from overseas to his family members were an occasional reward for his family.

If WeChat or WhatsApp had existed then, it would have been easy for him to connect with his family, and friends would have reduced the loneliness and made the first few days of his stay in Singapore easier to bear.

Tens of thousands of foreigners in Singapore are using apps like these to keep in touch with their family members back home during the economic crisis.

As with many millennials, I frequently use mobile camera technology. I’ve taken many photos of special occasions and my gatherings with friends throughout time and would look through them often to revisit my memories, usually smiling.

On the other hand, my parents aren’t too fond of their childhood since they only take pictures at formal occasions like weddings.

When I ask my parents questions about their early times, they will be able to describe to me in great detail all their enjoyable and memorable experiences with their peers. But, they don’t have any photographs or videos to share with me, making it more difficult for me to take in their experiences from the past.

If smartphones existed, I’m confident that my parents could have recorded their lives in photographs, and I would have a picture of their lives.

The thought of this has made me appreciate my digital possessions, like my photographs, more, now through old pictures stored on my phone or flash drives.

Technology has changed my life and those around me within years. I am unsure how the next decade will unfold for each of us.