GENERATIONAL GAP EFFECTS PRODUCED BY SOCIAL NETWORKS AND THE INTERNET: A COMMUNICATIONS POINT OF VIEW ESSAY

This paper examines the positive and negative effects that Social Networks and the Internet produces incrementing and decrementing the Generational Gap focused in the communication problems around it. In the teaching and learning processes a good communication mechanism is necessary. Ferdinand de Saussure developed four principles about linguistic systems, one of them is the principle of immutability:"The meaning of a linguistic symbol (word) should be the same for all persons who wants to use it for communication". In the other hand, in a basic communication model there are at least four elements: Sender, receiver, a communication channel and a protocol or language. So, this paper examines how the social networks and the Internet are changing the meaning of the linguistc symbols (words), the writting and speaking skills, sometimes incrementing the educational and cultural attributes (generational gap) between young and old people, sometimes creating opportunities that allow old and young people develop communication links. That is, the effects of using social networks and the Internet can be an obstacle in the learning and teaching processes because teacher and students are separated by a generational gap, but at the same time social networks and Internet can be used to reduce such generational gap, improving the communication channel and sharing the meaning of the linguistic symbols (words) between old and young persons.