But today, instead of asking questions from people around us, we just pick up our phones and start searching online. It’s faster, no doubt and we can get different opinions instantly. But sometimes, we forget that experience cannot be fully replaced by information.
Google can give you answers, but elders can give you understanding. Google shows you facts, but elders share life lessons.
There are traditional answers google can never provide to you, especially about your roots, in that case you must consultant your elders. In terms of information, the internet is an avenue the reach information deposited by both elders and the young alike, so over the internet, we are still consulting elders who have finished their works and uploaded their wealth of experience to the internet for access to a wider audience. There are still information you desire that the elders are ignorant of and the internet becomes your only reference point at such situations.
When it comes to tradition, then the elders becomes the valid point of contact, because the information they have may have never found its way to the internet and it would be very customized based on where you're from. You cannot learn the depths of your culture online which still validates the importance of elders. So both online and elders can provide answers and understanding based on the context of information you desire