A good many industries have been challenged by the internet age, not least newspapers, and the antiques world also sees itself on the front line.

In fact you could say that the most switched-on of the auctioneers and dealers are doing rather well out of it, with their shop window now reaching every corner of the globe. It goes without saying, these days, that if something of value from China, Russia or America appears in one of our region's salerooms, then the chances are that the bidding will be led by those countries, or London dealers confident that their own electronic networks will soon be delivering the goods back home.

On the Cotswold Edge near Gloucester, Simon Chorley and his team have homed in on the Zeitgeist – sorry, Mr Holmes of Taunton, we promised never to use that word again, didn't we? – and started a blog on their website.

In this, they hope that Generation Y, the coming wave of "earners and spenders", can discuss and learn about antiques in the medium they know best.

The blog says that a traditional industry such as art and antiques should not lose sight of the generation of adults who are not only shaping society in the 21st century but will be society in the 21st century.

"These are young adults ... born into the internet age. The www is both their source of information and where they share ideas socially and professionally.

"They are. 20 to 35 years old, educated – even if their correspondence sometimes verges purposefully on the illiterate – global rather than international, having access to more information on everything than can ever be sensibly digested or reflected upon, cynical about how the planet has been handled to date and sceptical beyond their years about everything as a result.

"They are also, however, very capable of cutting to the chase more quickly than those who are older would give them credit for."

All of which might point towards further decline in the value put on paintings, brown furniture and so on – but the blog allows itself to surmise that the opposite might just be true – to the benefit of companies that "can highlight the place of fine art and antiques in the world of today as well as tomorrow, and do so in the context of the priorities of this new generation of buyers".

These might include a focus on recycling, longevity of product use against a throwaway society, reused wood versus rain forests and their protection, calls for craftsmanship over mass production, the uniqueness of fine art and antiques over commercial production – and an emphasis on thinking afresh about everything.

The Chorley team has already discovered websites that urge users to "buy vintage or antique instead of new, to help save the planet" and – music to any auction firm's ears – recognition that "there are lots of wonderful antiques out there which are of brilliant quality, exquisite style and quite often cheaper than new, too".

Now, at www.simonchorley.com, there's another one adding its voice to the movement that believes that while there are places for high tech, there are equally important places in which we can rediscover and be strengthened by our past.