Every student knows the drill. All essays must be typed in the standard Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1” margins, and double spaced.

Back in 1966, students did not have to worry about the perfect paper setup because it was all uniform. Papers typed using a typewriter looked identical because the font size and style never changed, the margins were pre-aligned, and the spacing was consistent.

The only thing those students had to worry about when typing was making a mistake. One slip up led to a whole paper being ruined.

The only saving grace was white-out or special erasable bond paper. Other than that, there was no backspace key or copy and paste, so the only other option was to start over.

Today, one click of the backspace key makes any amount of letters, words, sentences or paragraphs disappear in an instant. Mistakes can easily become a thing of the past.

This technological advance just goes to show how our culture is constantly evolving, but it also helps prove the existence of a generation gap.

The mistake-free mindset of the older generation has pushed them to be more thoughtful when choosing their words. On the other hand, the quick fix mindset of the younger generation has caused them to be quicker when sharing their thoughts.

It all connects back to the fact that the younger generation believes that a mistake can disappear in a second.