When I was a young lad, the phrase “generation gap” was coined. This was the age of dissent, when young idealistic and progressive thinkers rebelled against their older stoic and conservative parents and those in positions of authority.

It was an upheaval of the status quo unlike any other in the last hundred years, and it changed the fabric of our society. There was a concerted effort to “never trust anyone over thirty!”

And the term generation gap was often blamed on a lack of communication between the affected parties. The tendency was to either not talk about the issues at all or to vehemently argue your position in such a belligerent manner that the message was lost in the crossfire.

Today there is no such lack of communication. Thanks to the onslaught of social networking, members of all generations have a method of easily communicating their thought and ideas to their broad spectrum of network “friends”

And even the term “friend” is bonding. Offspring are now friends of their parents, employees are now friends of their bosses, and business competitors are now graciously sharing relevant information.

And so the “generation gap” has narrowed year after year, and is now practically non-existent. And although we don’t always agree on anything from fashion to politics, at least we can communicate with each other.

And that’s really a good thing!