The world was a different place when International Business Machines (IBM) launched the personal computer in 1981.

The US was just beginning the first of many launches of the space shuttle Columbia, which went into orbit around the earth for the first time in 1981, as well as the launch of Music Television (MTV) on cable systems across the country.

Personal-computers (PCs), cable television and space travel were the height of technology two decades ago. Twenty years later, the internet, human cloning and mobile phones are at the forefront.

To get a better understanding of how technology has affected the lives of young people, the BBC asked a group of 20-year-olds outside MTV headquarters in Times Square.

Love that e-mail

To no one's surprise, there was a near-universal embrace of e-mail and the speed and convenience with which it allows human communication over vast spaces. They are, after all, a group that has never known a world without a PC.

One young man, born in India and now living in Miami, told the BBC that his personal computer allows him to keep in touch in a much less time-consuming way than letter and post.

"I've travelled all over the world," he said. "I can talk to my mom. I can keep in touch with all my friends by e-mail. Twenty years ago you couldn't do that."

Records, CDs and digital music

He also appreciates being able to send over the internet photos that he has taken with a digital camera.

A young couple, both 20, disagreed over whether they like computers or not. She said that she was not very good with them, while her boyfriend countered that he liked the PC's ability to download and store music.