Increasingly, I’ve discovered an annoying and, at the very least, a naive perspective that seems to be evident in younger people. And by younger, I mean those who are primarily in their 20s and 30s. This isn’t to exclude anyone else who isn’t twenty-or-thirty-something; it just seems more prevalent to this particular age group of people. I am, of course, not excluding myself and have directed the critical eye inward first before spouting off thoughtless observations of my fellow peers.

Have you ever noticed yourself speaking of something as if it was the final answer? That no other way of thought, life, perspective, method, or consideration even is allowed to challenge whatever notion you speak of? I have. And it bothers me when I find myself doing it, not to mention, loathe it when I see it everywhere else.

Recently, I saw a Sprint commercial featuring their new HTC EVO smartphone, where hundreds of users were playing a digitized version of Wilco’s “I’m Always In Love” using a synthesizer app. For whatever reason, I quickly became irritated at this advertisement and I believe it is due to the wide sweeping assumption, especially with “younger” generations, that anything newer and faster is automatically better.

This caused me to think of where our current apps, gadgets, newest versions of phones, computers, cars, appliances, and so forth, really derived from. Where does Guitar Hero get its inspiration from? Guitars, the original instrument! Where does the laptop get its inspiration from? The typewriter; the classic pen-and-paper; the charcoal-to-stone method! Where does GPS get its inspiration from? Actual paper maps; hand drawn navigations; homing pigeons!

I just don’t see why my generation of people have to automatically assume that whatever is latest out there, which very much includes smartphones and the plethora of tech toys we have at our fingertips, is better and smarter and needs to be adopted now, lest one be left in the digital dust storm.

Am I so old school that I actually don’t mind texting with my simple flip phone, sans frills (you know, actually punching in four times the number 7 in order to get the letter “s”? remember those days?)? Now, I’m not saying I’m better than anyone who is far more up-to-date on their gadgets. What I would like others to consider, however, is the unconscious statements we utter when we come across older forms of the same technology.

It isn’t just disrespectful of that particular technology’s evolution (the roots of where it came from), but it also sounds downright ignorant. By all means, integrate your life with tools that will help you live better and safer! But don’t forget, even the latest of the greatest will soon be outdated; be wary of saying something is the best before the next wave of innovation wipes out whatever you hold in your palms today.