Intergenerational gaps in digital understanding and skills in Palestinian society in Israel

The research dealt with intergenerational gaps in the use of digital technology in Palestinian society in Israel and its influence on relations between parents and their children. 120 parents from the center of the country participated in the study and one of the children (male or female) from each couple. Findings indicate the existence of inter-generational gaps in the ways in which the Internet is used between parents and children. Additionally, there are differences in the users’ self-perception of their technological capabilities; adults attribute greater familiarity with the Internet to children, while they are not amenable to and have negative consideration towards the Internet in contrast to the children’s views. This gap causes intergenerational tension harming the parents’ authority and consequently stimulating parents’ attempts to supervise the children’s use of the Internet. The children see the Internet as an intimate space for activity relatively free from parental supervision.

Findings from the research (Abu-Asbeh, 2018) indicate that there are digital gaps between the two generations, parents and their children. Gaps in technological expertise exist between the children’s generation that represents the technological era and their parents who represent the traditional era, characterized by a lack of progress and lack of technological consumerism. Additional research findings also indicate that there are digital gaps between those with academic education and those with little education, to the benefit of the academics. Another digital gap was found between males and females, to the benefit of the men. Gaps in extent of Internet surfing time also lead to gaps in familiarity with Internet use. Children are more familiar than their parents with Internet. The findings indicate that there are also differences in the type of Internet use by the two generations, such that children use the Internet more to share attitudes and thoughts than do their parents. The findings show that Palestinian parents tend to use various supervisory practices to control their children’s Internet use, including limiting their Internet surfing time, restricting their Internet activities and following their actions on the Internet because of their fear of the digital gap between them and their children and their feeling of powerlessness concerning these gaps. the research findings show that the digital gaps between parents and children injure relationships within the family because they generate tense relations and a lack of trust in the family unit