It was clear from the survey that for this generational cohort, the distinction between public vs private has been replaced by a much more subtle dichotomy that distinguishes the public from the “personal.” Additionally, in this world view, visual material is considered to be much more “personal” than the written word. The survey found less of an expectation of openness than might be anticipated, more understanding and appreciation of archival material, and a clear distinction between visual and textual material. The authors surveyed nearly 1000 undergraduate and graduate students and discovered interesting data along three dimensions: concepts of public vs private information, acceptance of the material vs the virtual, and responses to the visual vs textual. How might their expectations affect the archival project? It is true that Millennials, Gen Y, and Echo Boom users are versant in a virtual realm which is visual and social in a way which has never existed before. This group of users is simultaneously the largest cohort of the North American population, and, we are told, the most technologically savvy, with commensurate demands for online access and communication.

The result is that archivists are reacting to assumptions regarding the expectations of Millennials, Gen Y, Echo Boom etc. There is the perception that, in North America, we are facing a generational shift in user perspectives on issues of information and accessibility. Today, archivists increasingly are being asked to deliver access to users within the digital realm. Born Digital: generational differences in attitudes towards privacy and visual and virtual material on-lineĬoncepts of access and privacy change over time and are culturally situated.

Women Together by Mona Holmlund