ABSTRACT
In the last 10 to 15 years, there has been revival of interest in generational analysis, including how it can be applied to the experience of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Originating in the nineteenth century, the idea of a social generation referred to people born in the same age range who had similar cultural experiences. Probably the most high-profile use of generational analysis in recent years was the literature, both popular and academic, contrasting the orientations of different cohorts in the post-war period. The various forms of cohort analysis have had a limited amount to say about generational experiences of ICTs, one exception being Putnam's discussion of the decline in various forms of civic participation in the US since the 1950s. Apart from shaping attitudes towards technologies, the previous experiences of cohort members during their working life affected their later financial circumstances and hence ability to afford ICTs in later life.
