Bridging the Generation Gap

November 10, 2023

Sarah Moran

In our modern world, people tend to live far away from their loved ones. Memory Lane provides the opportunity to connect with your family, document your life story, and preserve your memories for years to come, no matter where you live.

Keeping family stories alive

While we may not want to settle down right where we grew up, we certainly want to spend time with those who raised us.

Now more than ever, people are lucky enough to be able to choose where they live. If you attend college, you’re likely to follow that up by getting a job in a city and staying put there – or moving to a suburb nearby. Putting down roots in a new place is exciting – but it means family is often far away, and we need to find workarounds in order to stay connected with our loved ones. While we may not want to settle down right where we grew up, we certainly want to spend time with those who raised us.

From Oral Tradition to Digital Innovation

The oral tradition happened naturally; it’s more difficult when we can only call once a week or visit twice a year.

A 2019 study showed that college-educated Americans are less and less likely to live close to their parents, as they move to big cities for job opportunities. If you visit your parents four times a year for occasions like birthdays and holidays, the sad math is this: based on the average life expectancy in the United States, you likely have just fifty visits left with them.

Not only are we moving apart from our families geographically, but this shift means we are in danger of losing the familial memory and wisdom that previous generations could share around the fire.When families expanded under one roof, relocated as a unit, or stayed living in the same town for generations, their history was right there with them. The oral tradition happened naturally; it’s more difficult when we can only call once a week or visit twice a year.

We’re not going to reverse globalization, but the new technology brought about by our connected world can help us to preserve our family ties in ways previous generations couldn’t have imagined. By building tools which not only collect your family history but also encourage conversations between loved ones, we can bridge the gap that your family’s stories may slip through. Memory Lane can preserve your family’s memories so they’re available for generations to come, no matter where those generations may be located.

Your Past in the Palm of Your Hand

Staying connected with your past doesn’t mean sacrificing your present.

Few people in today’s busy world have time to sit down for an hours-long chat with their folks, let alone to remember all that was said. But with Memory Lane, the conversations that matter can happen at your convenience. You can listen to your loved ones’ stories at any time, ask questions about the stories you’ve never heard before – or even be inspired to record a story of your own.

Staying connected with your past doesn’t mean sacrificing your present. It’s only right that you focus on making your own memories so that you, too, have something to pass down to the next generation. But, while you do, your family history doesn’t have to feel so far away. 

With Memory Lane at your fingertips, you can document your own life while listening to the stories that came before you. It may seem as though spreading out geographically means we’re removed from our family tree, but the technology is here to make us feel more connected than ever and to make sure no one’s story is forgotten.

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