Intergenerational Communication: Orality and Relationship Through Video
Because there has been a loss in the beauty of the oral culture, video storytelling can help bridge the gap between the young and the old and exemplify what the community in the kingdom of Christ should be.
Why Do I Care?
Ann Arbor, Michigan is an hour ahead of Northwest Indiana time. That was why (at ten-year-old) I woke up early those mornings. Grandma was in her late 70s and woke up early every morning. “For some reason, now that I’m old I can’t sleep in any more” she would always say. Those were the mornings on our rare weekend visits, I would tiptoe down the wooden staircase and curl up next to her. She had the typical smell that most grandparents have and the most beautiful wrinkled hands. It was those mornings that I would listen to her tell stories, no technology involved, just her and I sitting with our tea in the blue of early morning. I would hear about her grandparents who she lived with. I would hear about her memories of working for the USO (United Service Organization) and how she would dance with the soldiers (a common social activity at the time) and increase morale. It was there she met her husband, Chuck, who married her shortly after their first dance. I would never have known these stories if I would have waited four short years when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and every story she knew was muddled with facts that did not belong. The stories and wisdom gleaned from those early mornings with Grandma Shirley shaped me into who I am today and drew me into the close relationship with her. A few years later found her living in our family home, eating the same meals, wandering the same floors, looking out the same windows but with a declining sense of awareness and ability to communicate. Those were the times I spent taking numerous video clips of her life. The tripod would be set up and the record button pushed while I had a conversation with her. To this day, those videos bring back her voice, her mannerisms, he funny laugh and the way she would use her hands. They touch a deep part of me, connecting with an emotional side of me that does not disconnect me from the relationship but gives me a deeper desire to push into it.
Two Cultures Compared
The elderly and the young are two different generations exemplify two different culture. However, the definition of what these two different cultures are must be defined before they can be better examined. Those over the age of 65 until death will further be defined as “elderly” and those from birth until the 30s would be defined as the “younger” generation. Each has an era that they were born into that has a culture surrounding it that shapes the way they think, act and interact with one another. While they do not live in different worlds, they do, perhaps live in different spheres of understanding of the world around them.
The elderly are a generation that is finished moving forward and is instead on the completing end of the life cycle. Instead of focusing on all the things that they can learn and do “when they grow up”, instead they focus on things of the past as memories and look to their life to tell them who they are. They are defined not by what they are going to do, but instead by what they have done. They are a generation that is not “moving forward” in society but is going down the totem pole of productivity and being replaced by those who have more “use” to society and the culture.
The generation of elderly has a culture that values ritual and would fall under that definition of communication. In his article A Cultural Approach to Communication, James Carey defines ritual communication as, “A ritual view of communication is directed not toward the extension of messages in space but toward the maintenance of society in time; not the act of imparting information but the representation of shared beliefs” (5). Communication itself being defined by Carey,
“Communication, then, is a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed” (23).
John Dewey (whom Carey cites) states that communication is, “the most wonderful” (166) and goes on to say, “Where communication exists, things in acquiring meaning, thereby acquire representatives, surrogates, signs and implicates, which are infinitely more amenable to management, more permanent and more accommodating, than events in their first estate” (167) Ritual communication and societies are ones that seek to have things passed around through community, not through transmission.
The consumeristic mindset of culture has affected them in large ways. The elderly have been used by the society through what they were able to give. After retirement, they are encouraged to relax and “stay out of the way”. This becomes a mindset that is the perspective that they are seen from that point on. They have been “used” for what they are good for, now they can step aside and act as watchers of the growing worlds rather than contributors. C.S. Lewis describes this mindset as Chronological Snobbery,
"…the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that account discredited. You must find why it went out of date. Was it ever refuted…or did it merely die away as fashions do? If the latter, this tells us nothing about its truth or falsehood" (A Mind Awake).
Yet, the generation born from the 1920s to the 1940s (Baby-Boomers) is not one that is unfamiliar with the story and the value of lessons learned. One article says, “Personal responsibility is of utmost importance to this generation…This generation’s attitude about life is characterized by caution and planning for the future while hoping for a better way of life. Position is tantamount to authority – you obey those above you.”. They are a generation that has seen hardship and some of the biggest events in history. They have seen wars, leaders who have changed the world, inventions come to fruition and cultures change. “Soft skinned” is not a way they should be described, but they have learned the art of sticking with things and learning from mistakes. Their culture is one full of everyday ritual. They value what they have gone through in the past and desire to share what they have learned and seen.
Media’s Effect on the Culture of the Elderly
The view that encompasses the elderly is one that is not entirely positive. There are a few reasons why this is the case. Firstly, different media outputs place them in a lower rung in society by putting them on display with generalizations of what the older generation is supposed to be. Video and television exemplify this strongly. In an article Kim Vickers explains the first problem, “Old people remain almost invisible on television. This is true despite the fact that older people watch more television than the average younger viewer” (102). In a study done by Gerbner in 1993, Americans over 60 made up nearly 17% of the population who were watching television”. Another study in 1998 stated that,
“An estimated 89% of older adults watch television daily, with 64% of these watching over 3 hours daily."
These statistics have grown even more. So even though the elderly watch more television than almost any other generation, they are the least portrayed. However, when they are portrayed on television or media outlets, they are portrayed as slow, technology illiterate and as a result dumb. Many ads on social media or otherwise make sure that they are sticking to a certain marketing plan in who they portray and why.
The authors of The Unreality Industry explain, “If it can’t be presented with a smiling, cheerful, sexy face, then it ain’t worth attending to. We’re all spectators in a grand entertainment society looking up at the few superstars on the stage who not only perform but stand out enough to be labelled heroes of our age” (8). This sends a subliminal message to anyone watching (even the elderly themselves) there are certain people who fit those characteristics and some that just do not and never will. This seems to be a never-ending cycle. First, the elderly watch more television than most. Secondly, they are the least portrayed in both television and social media and when they are they are put into a stereotype of being of lesser intelligence. Thirdly, they become pushed aside and treated how they are portrayed causing them to be largely forgotten in society and various mediums of communication within it.
The Culture of the Young
In order to move on and seek to better intergenerational relationships, the younger generation must be looked at. Looking at Millennials will be done briefly for the sake of clarification. Generation Z will be taken into consideration, however, the focus will be narrowed down to Millennials as they are the generation that is next to deal with this issue practically leading the next generations on. One author defines Millennials as, “…that cohort born between 1980 and 2000 whose first college graduates entered the workforce around 2002” (Dannar). What makes a generation label is the large events that have marked and age and the outcome of those who have lived through that event (Dannar). This generation is one that has been heavily researched and studied and seems to have all eyes on them to study the shift from one millennium to the next. In his book, Kids These Days, Malcolm Harris explains, “No one chooses the historical circumstances of their birth. If Millennials are different in one way or another it’s not because we’re more or less evolved than our parents or grandparents; it’s because they’ve changed the world in ways that have produced people like us” (2) Thus the thing that makes them who they are is the interaction they have with the world around them and its technological changes.
However, how have millennials been described as a whole? Different media sources seem to show them to be a, “’Look at Me’ generation, implying that they are overly self-confident and self-absorbed”. This may not be as much actually interacting with them as a culture but just watching them through the eyes of social media, television and literature. It does indeed seem that they are a culture that has been vastly enamored by their own image. However, if our media portrays actuality and is an extension of ourselves than a scroll through Facebook or Instagram would show a generation of people who fit the definition of the “Look at Me Generation”.
The influence of media on the Millennial generation is vast. However, what will mainly be focused on briefly is how it has affected interpersonal relationships. Part of this generation remembers a time without the internet or with very limited internet use. However, the internet boomed as the Millennial grew up and began to learn things about the world. One group of writers suggested, “Millennials’ use of social media occurs concurrently to their developing identity, physical development, emerging sexuality and moral consciousness” (Kavitha, Bhuvaneswari). Meaning, as the internet was growing and forming so was a generation along with it. One article calls them the “Net Generation” saying,
“The Net generation was born with the prosperity of digital resources. They have become accustomed to receiving information from all sorts of digital media, including television, Internet, radio, etc. They have easily learned to use a lot of digital devices... Their technical competence often enhances their ability to become digital storytellers” (Tang)
As a result, this generation has learned a kind of creativity through the new technologies growing with them and have learned a new way posable to communicate with others. “This new approach to consuming and creating information is, in particular engaging with youths as a platform and space for activities not possible in the eye to eye context.” (Kavitha, Bhuvaneswari). They began learning to try new ways of connecting with people online and seeking to normalize non-face to face interaction as it became more popular. However, Myers points out, that in this process, “It does not happen simultaneously, but rather as a process, with some people avoiding the new innovation more so than others”(12). This was not a process that caught on with every age group either. As new technology comes it must be learned, and because of the speed of its growth, it is difficult for it to be learned by a culture or generation that is not learning with it. This is what happened with those adults we now call “elderly”, as the new technology progressed their knowledge in it did not grow as fast as those who acted as siblings to it in growth. The parents, however, got left a step behind and often struggle to catch up creating two different worlds that ran parallel paths and crossed seldom. In the same way, the Baby-Boomer generation grew up with television and are familiar with it as a media form. It is part of their comfort zone and often their choice of connection.
Interpersonal Interactions
A common theme when speaking on Millennials is their interactions in the workplace and how that has changed because of their generation. The reason this is important to touch on is how it affects their interpersonal relationships as one recent study shows these are where many of them believe their primary relationships to be located. The first challenge when Millennials enter the workforce is socialization, “Newcomers learn about tasks and social norm expectations through socialization processes, as well as how to adapt to and negotiate their roles and how to gain others’ acceptance of them as participating members in the workplace” (Myers). This is often a new challenge often coming out of a college atmosphere and into a professional space. New habits must be learned. As this process cements, they have come to learn about how teams work. Millennials particularly have found that team leadership is the most beneficial and do not believe in the “class” system or hierarchy or leadership as a whole. They are used to getting the information in the workplace from their supervisors no matter what level they are on. “Expectations of this sort may be associated with Millennials also not being intimidated by individuals who are more senior, either in age or in status” (Myers). This could come from children being encouraged to be friends with their patents and teens being encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings often without credibility. Therefore, if this is the mindset that they step into among friend groups and in their socialization, they will often look to this model in all of their interpersonal relationships. Hence, avoidance of connecting with the elderly (who fall under the Baby-boomer category) who view social structures differently.
In the aspect of communication, the Millennial generation falls under the transmission structure of communication. Carey defines transmission as, “Communication is a process whereby messages are transmitted and distributed in space for the control of distance and people” (3). This generation has learned how to transmit a message with speed and accuracy over several different mediums. The media is viewed as the message carrier (Ministry Media Matters packet) and not the communicators themselves. This is becoming more and more of a popular form of communication as modern technology changes the way people communicate and relate to each other. The oral culture and ritual of the past have been replaced by transmitted words that are being moved about as quickly as possible.
The Concept of Orality
"Lacking an oral culture, one may easily fall prey to experts who do our knowing for us, who inform us but whose knowledge does not easily connect to our actual experience and to the basic transactions of life" (Carey 165).
So enters the conversation on orality. Shultz defines orality as, “…speaking and listening which form the basis for all highly relational activities” (71). It is simply the act of speaking face to face with another individual and so, as Shultz states, the basis for a human relationship. It is what mankind knows to be vital and most valuable. Keep in mind, this is not discounting the value of the written word which has extreme value, this will simply be focusing on orality itself apart from the written word.
Historically speaking orality has shown itself to be stronger in different eras of the past and is still in various cultures. In a brief look at scripture’s mechanics, this is seen. From the first day of Earth’s existence, it was spoken into being by the Creator. Throughout the Bible as well, orality plays a vital part in the formation of what known of scripture and the liturgies of today. The written words of the Bible themselves came from a God who spoke them into existence through his people,
“For God is always thought of as ‘speaking’ to human beings, not writing to them” (Ong 75)
and were written down. They are now written records but come originally from an oral tradition and cultural context (Ong 99). These words, without the essence of orality, could not exist. They are letters that make sounds and must be connected and related to meaning. These biblical words were just that and the written words in their literacy come from a deep relationship that God had with a man as the words were “God breathed”. So the creation of the biblical text on the paper itself began with orality.Secondly, the pure value of the passing of wisdom through orality was and is valued from scriptural texts. Speaking of the commandments of God, in Deuteronomy 6:6-9 Moses pens, “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up…”(ESV). The proverbs are also packed with this idea of passing on wisdom to one another (see Proverbs 8:33, Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 15:31, Proverbs 18:4, Proverbs 19:20). They more often than not speak of wisdom as coming from the words of someone who has gained that wisdom and is willing to pass it on. This also comes from those who have the memory to be able to recall information and pass it down from one generation to the next. Postman explains that, in earlier days “In a culture without writing, human memory is of the greatest importance, as are the proverbs, sayings and songs which contain the accumulated oral wisdom of centuries” (Postman).
Systems of Orality
The family system can be an example of typical (and ideal) orality. Parents verbally teach their children what is right and wrong and in a healthy family system, they also choose to pass down wisdom to their children from their own life so that the children do not make the same mistakes. Shultz says, “Many scholars recognize orality as the basis for strong local community life that survives through generations” Phrases like, “When I was younger I learned…” or “I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I made” are passed from one generation to the next and thus wisdom is handed over through orality. This is a healthy view that would stand as ideal and party of a good family system: generations weaving together lessons learned and knowledge obtained.
Speaking from a Western point of view, orality is not a strong value of today’s society, however vital it may be and has caused these interpersonal relationships to step aside and be replaced by a mediated culture. Postman explains that the progression changed as technology evolved. This is true as we look at how transmitted information has changed the way relationship is viewed and the disconnect it creates. “Indeed, in the computer age, the concept of wisdom may vanish altogether” This has come about in a gradual process as spoken about earlier in the context of Millennials. The way that several mediums have come to transmit information is a speed which is the most convenient for their user. This speed in communication has made orality unwanted and a ritual that is seen as something of the past. In its nature communicating through orality takes time and face to face communication. These are both things that technology has come to stand between ritual and transmission.
The systems of technological communication exemplify transmission view of communication. Seeking a definition for the purpose of further conversation lands on the idea that anything that produces transmitted knowledge is technology. In this, there is a need for everything to be fast. Most technological advancements were created for the purpose of convincing and speed. Therefore, the slower it is the “older” it is said to be. In this age is often directly correlated to speed. There is a need for it to be new referring back to Lewis’ concept of Chronological Snobbery. There is a need for it to be knowledge-based and there must have a whole machine driving it and the larger amounts of knowledge that it conveys the more valuable it is to its users and it is often obtained for the knowledge it will give. It inherently, in itself does not promote relationship but promotes independence and individuality as knowledge is at the fingertips of every person who uses it. However, from these massive technological advancements, “Mass media threaten local community life when they challenge orality” (Shultz 72) Through all of this, the elderly do not use the newest and most advanced forms of technology as they have adjusted to the ritual of what is known to them. On the other hand,
“New technologies help to provide flexibility in collaborative learning, stimulate creative ideas, and increase interpersonal relationships of the millennials. This new approach to consuming and creating information is, in particular engaging with youths as a platform and space for activities not possible in the eye to eye context.” (Kavitha, Bhuvaneswari)
There are connections being made among the same generation because of what is familiar to them. However, long-term will the cycle continue of the following of their technology and a new generation pushing them aside for even newer and better things?
Storytelling
The concept of storytelling is one that is familiar to every society. Stories are inherently what makes and shapes a culture. “Stories are one of the most basic concepts in the world” (Moezzi). The progression of a story creates another world to be experienced and a temporary reality to be invited into. Stories do three main things: relate to existing experiences, create a connection between storyteller and listener and communicate lessons to be learned. In relating to existing experiences, storytelling can create a “me too” moment and point for both who speak and listen. It tells the listener that they are not alone and can guide a society in the way they respond. It draws the listener into an experience in a ritual form (See Ministry Media Matters Packet). Secondly, it can create a connection. In that “me too” moment there is an emotional connection made of feeling solidarity with another human who has experienced joy and pain coming through to tell their story. One author says,
“They are immediately oriented to relationships, in particular between people and things, the present and the past, actions and consequences, etc. And they often have emotional, psychological, symbolic, and cultural content absent or sublimated in more purified ‘objective’ data” (Moezzi ).
Thirdly it can communicate lessons to be learned. Every story has a lesson and those core lessons can shape one mind or a whole culture. Storytelling is something that has existed since early on in history and has truly shaped nations and understandings of current time. Without the stories of history, the lessons learned from the past would not exist. It is the backbone of a culture and the way it has been molded.
Video Storytelling Integration
The creation of a video is a form of storytelling. Art inherently tells a story, it tells the story of the one who created it and of what it captures and video does this a raw form. It captures movement, sound and can give context the situation. It is a valuable medium that has the power to communicate emotions through the sound of a voice movement and life portrayed. It also provides a way in which stories can be told by any person, “Multimedia writing may encourage people who have no interest or confidence in writing because multimedia writers may write a story through a lot of multimedia tools, such as pictures, music, animation, video, etc” (Tang).
Video storytelling can also aid relationship and community. Because of the way that sound, reality and context is communicated, it pulls in the viewer. It creates a desire to know and the feeling of being known. It can communicate orally though itself. It is not orality, and it is not a relationship, but it can aid and create a desire and need for both. It does not replace relationship, however, since its form does create a desire for relationship, it can be a bridge. It can communicate oral stories through a simple clip, communicating both ritually and transmissionally at the same time with both the medium and the message.
Intergenerational relationships have challenges but the differences can be complementary. As explained before, two different generations hold two different cultural mindsets. These mindsets ask them to interact differently in many ways with the things and relationships around them. The elderly look to the past for their identity, value story and want to tell theirs, and have stored up knowledge and wisdom from years of experience. The young look to the future for identity, have learned to ask questions and value stories and they desire to know more and store up more information. Media forms portray them differently and even their form of communication is different. However, a helicopter view would say that these two generations (in all their differences) could be more compatible than previously observed. Their worldviews, interactions with media and core needs may be different, however, in many ways they complement each other.
What is the Big Deal?
The elderly and the young can come into a better relationship by understanding what they do have in common and seeking to dig deeper into that. First, identity, both cultures see identity differently. The old look to the past and the young to the future. Over and over again scripture lauds the passing down of wisdom and the seeking out the elderly and the wise for their insight. One Proverb says, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” (ESV Proverbs 19:20). The young are looking for an identity and have the ability to learn from the elderly and what they have discovered from their own lives. The elderly, in turn, can share who they have been and what they have learned from their own story. Secondly, story is valuable to both generations. It is part of a human need, to tell and learn a story. The old want to tell their stories of the past often through orality, the memories of their youth, and the young want to tell beautiful stories and influence their own story. Thirdly, the old not only desire to share their story but also desire to share knowledge and wisdom. This is where orality comes in full force. Many things can be communicated the overwritten word, however, wisdom and experience can be even more powerfully passed down when partnered with emotion which can be best communicated in its purest form through orality. The young live in a knowledge saturated culture that is often lacking true experience and wisdom. More and more they will need the wisdom to balance the knowledge and information their brains are flooded with by ever new technologies and information advancements. Wisdom must accompany information otherwise a robot state of mind will overpower human action.
With the increase of transmission, face to face interaction has declined. However, one generation is used to this usage of multiple technological mediums while the other does not. How are the young and the old to communicate if they do it so differently? In the mind of mankind, there is a deep desire to learn, to know and to be known. It is inherent and it is looked for around every corner. In the creation story Adam and Eve had a deep relationship with God, however, when they chose “the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 3:6) over pure and true relationship everything changed. God was the same, but humanity could not live in full communion and beauty with him. A veil, a smoke and a protection lay between God and man until the coming of Christ and glory reviled. In the innermost parts of human hearts now, there is a desire for deep and true relationship. God has given that in Christ, but in a sinful and fallen world humanity will never truly have that with mankind until eternity.
So why all this talk about orality and intergenerational relationship? Why does it truly matter? My Grandma Dunham moved in with my family when I was a freshman in high school. I was not excited about her arrival, in fact, I dreaded it. I did not want my young, carefree life to change. However, my life did change in the most drastic of ways. I cared for my grandmother for five years and she did not once remember my name, she could not take herself places or even put herself to bed. In that time, I learned about a true relationship with Christ. I became friends with this woman who did not even know what Facebook was. I heard stories preserved in her brain from the past when she could not even write them down. I saw tears in her eyes when I told her I loved her and simply held her hand. Without a willingness to listen and care for her story all those years, I would have never experienced the beauty of relationship and the wisdom I gained from an 86 year-old woman who sometimes simply wanted to talk over a cup of tea on the front porch.
Over the years of Grandma Shirley’s life with my family, I made it my goal to document her life. I took pictures, wrote stories and filmed videos of her. I value every piece that told a part of her story, however, the most valued pieces are those video clips I go back to time and time again just to hear her voice. Her story is saved in those videos as she tells about her past, her family, her favorite activities and laughter at her own jokes. When I watch these clips I do not feel that I am distanced from a relationship or that it is a substitute for relationship. Instead, I am drawn into the orality of her story and always wish I could hear more. The medium itself is not distracting or a block to that emotion it pulls out of me, instead it is a bridge from one culture to the next. On one hand, my grandma is communicating in a ritual way that is comfortable and relational to her and on the other hand, I am receiving that ritual through transmission and desiring more relationship and ritual.
Video storytelling is a bridge that can connect two generations and bring back the beauty of oral culture while still relating to a technological generation. It has the ability to see beyond just a screen, but it protrudes that screen with words spoken and emotion that brings connection.
Exemplification: I created a brief video to exemplify what I talk about in this paper. This is my other grandmother who, during the process of writing this paper, I was convicted about my own relationship with her and what it actually looked like. I spent an afternoon with her, asking her to tell me stories and sharing my own life. Much of these conversations I filmed and placed some of it in this video. There was so much more I wish I had time to share. I am very thankful for the time I got to spend with her, and plan on returning to her house soon to continue building this relatioship and learning from her.
Works Cited
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