Will Youth Still Exist?

I had a quick moment, while reading, in which I realized just how young Y.T. is. She is only 15! When you are swept up in the story it is very easy to forget that she is just a child. Just like every other tiny detail in this book, Stephenson incorporated this age in a very subtle way. We forget how old she is so easily and then it hits, only for a moment, then we forget again. I think he is trying to make an important statement with this number. Y.T. is 15, has a very dangerous job as a Krourier, is working with the Mafia ( a very powerful and possibly criminal group of people), is working with Hiro Protagonist chasing after drugs that are damaging hackers, and has a boyfriend. Wow! At 15 all I wanted was to get my license! I know, how cliche of me to say that, but I think there is a serious motive behind that number.

Again, he may have been off the mark when it comes to particular details in this book that we may see in the future, however, he hit the nail right on the head as far as broader ideas that make sociological observations are concerned. Stephenson does nothing on accident in this novel. Y.T. is so young because Stephenson could already see the effects technology was having on the development of youth today. He suggests that in the future, children will no longer be children. No more sweetness and innocence. When I realized this I asked myself, is she too young to be doing the things she is doing? Yes! By even today's standards I think she is far to young to be involved in drugs and in partnership with several possibly dangerous men, working on the highways, but the fast pace of this book makes us forget about it while we're reading, just like the fast pace of society will cause us to forget about it in the future as we experience it. It is a sad thing to think about, but we can already see its effects today. I don't know how many times I have been at a family gather, for example, and heard my grandmother say something like, "Oh, kids are growing up so fast these days. I couldn't have my own car until I could buy one for myself!" Even I felt old when my 10-year old cousin was telling me about her Myspace! I couldn't help saying outloud, "you are too young to have one of those!"

However, no one can deny that with changes, such as these comes progress. It is also debatable whether or not children are growing up faster. My grandparents started having children when my grandmother was only 16. By the time she was 30 they had 9 kids! If that's not growing up fast, I don't know what is. We see today that when are having their first children into their 40's and women are waiting much longer to get married and start families. Maybe children are growing up just as fast, just in different ways. I think this book, like Rheingold's in a way, makes significant observations as the ways in which our society will change as a result of technology, not just how technology will advance.