A 'digital divide' can be described as an economic inequality between groups, this simply refers to the amount of people that have access to the latest information technologies and to those who do not. There is a clear digital divide in our modern society, the main denominator being age. Because of the recent advancements in technology, the modern adolescent has grown up with all things digital i.e. The internet, television, games consoles etc. In complete contrast, the adults of todays world lacked most of these ‘modern day necessities’ growing up. The complete and utter difference in lifestyles has ultimately led to a rewiring of the human brain. Children of the modern world are fully adjusted to modern technology and digital media from a very early age whereas the older generation need more time to adapt to the often complicated new technology. "We see marked differences in behaviour within countries – with a clear divide between younger and older groups. Younger people are more likely to use social media and aggregator brands and in all countries they show a strong preference for online." (Newman, Nic, NN, (2013), 'Digital News Report 2013', Uneven Pace of Change - Differences between and within Countries) There are of course many advantages of the new digital society in which we live. The internet can be used as a tool to connect with people all over the world, business conferences can be held via the internet in real time saving time and money for thousands of businesses. These are just a small percentage of the advantages new digital media brings. However, Many problems have arisen from the advancements in technology, especially for the older generation – some of which can be left feeling isolated and cut off from the rest of the modern and fast moving new world. Sociologists such as Emile Durkheim have studied the effects of isolation or ‘anomie’ on individuals. Durkheim found that anomie leads to depression and ultimately suicide. Therefore, it can be said that if this new media contributes to isolation of the older generation, perhaps new media can be influencing and increasing the rates of depression. This problem is not only confined to an older generation, in fact, it is much more prevalent among the younger generation. New media such as the internet has created the new phenomenon of ‘cyberbullying’ for example. Durkheim (1897) stated, "When one feels such pleasure in non-existence, one's inclination can be completely satisfied only by completely ceasing to exist.” Without doubt there has been an increase in youth suicides in Ireland over the past number of years especially with the birth of ‘Ask FM’-a site that has been used to bully (mainly) teens (anonymously) via social networking sites such as Facebook. On Monday, 29th October 2012, the Irish Examiner's headline read, 'Third suicide in weeks linked to cyberbullying.' This information illustrates that while adolescents can easily adapt to new media, perhaps because the older generation that can not adapt as quickly do not know of the dangers that surround the internet, educating parents further on social networking sites such as Facebook would help bridge the digital divide. There is also a belief that new digital media has contributed to creating a less intelligent younger generation. In this modern world Facebook and other well known websites seem to be a far more popular choice in terms of entertainment than picking up a book. However, it's not only the internet which leads to passive teenagers, television has been widely criticized for diminishing concentration skills. Professor Mark Bauerlein ponders the question of whether we are the dumbest generation yet. "It isn’t enough to say these young people are uninterested in world realities. They are actively cut off from them. Or a better way to put it is to say that they are incased in more immediate realities - pop music, sitcoms, facebook." (Bauerlein, M, (2008), The dumbest generation how the digital age stupefies Americans and jeopardizes our future, London, Penguin.) However, it can also be argued that digital media creates highly technically skilled young people ready for employment. One of the main inequalities of the digital divide is evident when it comes to employment. Because of the fact that the older generation can not adapt to new technologies as quickly as the younger generation they might have a lesser chance of employment. Young people fresh out of University are acquainted with the newest and most complicated technologies, making them more employable than an older person with experience in the area but unable to use this new technology. "In 2007, 41 % of Europeans aged 16–24 were able to carry out five or six computer-related activities, against only 18 % of those aged 45–54." (European Commission, (2013), Youth in Europe - Statistics Explained, http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Youth_in_Europe#Computer_and_internet.) However, technology and new digital media will continue to grow and adolescents of the 21st century may find themselves unable to adapt to new media that their children can easily manage. Thus, the digital divide may forever remain. In conclusion, it is evident that there is a digital divide in our modern society. The younger generation adapt more quickly to new information technologies because of the fact they have grown up in a digital world, this can leave the older generation at a loss. When it comes to employment, the younger generation are at an advantage because of their up-to-date knowledge of new information technology. Exploring the topic of age and new digital media in such depth has given me a greater understanding of the digital divide. Perhaps there will always be a digital divide between generations, we'll have to wait and see.