Digital Natives

Michael Walsh

Digital Natives

After completing the reading Edenity about digital natives I am reminded about concepts we discussed in class last week. The article brought up a few interesting points regarding how society as a whole interacts with technology. Before starting the assignment we were asked to think about how to go about searching for information regarding digital natives. Typically, I would use the search engine Google to get the best results with minimal effort, however in addition I have decided I will use resources provided by the University of South Carolina via the Library to research online encyclopedias. Hopefully this will provide me with access to better quality information however as mentioned in the passage, the information could be outdated and thus a Google search might be the best solution. My first source was from PBS.org. PBS is a trusted organization that provides useful information that is backed up by statistics. My favorite part about this source is how they provide a bunch of data that demonstrates the usage of a “digital native” including an awesome drop down bar that shows the body senses and how often they are used in technology.  One interesting point that I believe defines digital natives is “They've grown up immersed in digital technologies and there's evidence they're being affected in ways unheard of before computers and the Web. And their parents -- sometimes called Digital Immigrants -- are still getting accustomed to their hyper connected world (PBS).” This article seems to describe the exact information described in the passage about the effects of technology on society and how it changes our human interactions. I agree with the point made in both the passage and the website about how we can lose some social interactions and humans may begin to lose social skills that are necessary for success in the world. The next article I used for my research was from Youth and Media, which is an organization that did a project on digital natives. The projected focused on younger people who are “digital natives”. Therefore, it discussed the role of technology in their lives and how they grew up in an age that relies on technology for most aspects of daily life. The documentary or videos consist of little children who were born into a generation of technology. The videos all rely a consistent theme of how this upcoming generation is more advanced at a younger age from the sole fact of growing up in the time period. The one interesting message I took from this site is safety. As also discussed in the reading passage safety must be thought about when putting all of your information out on the internet for anyone to view. “Would you like your parents or grandparents to view what you post on the Internet? (Youth and Media)” is a question asked in the article. It brings up a good point of discussion about Internet safety, about what we are putting out there and how if can affect our future with employers or other factors. Along with safety is privacy. How much information is out there for hackers or others to view and potentially do harm. The third and final article was from CNN, a reputable source for news and information.  The article seems to mention every point discussed in the original reading source but mentions “the human race’s struggle to keep up with technology (Oliver 1).” because it keeps evolving and changing. From all of the information gathered, a digital native is a person who was born into the generation completely exposed and dependent on technology. They completely rely on technology to accomplish most aspects of daily life and better at using technology to their benefit to accomplish their tasks. In addition they are better suited at using technology than others who didn’t grow up in this era.

Works Cited

"Digital Natives | Youth and Media." Youth and Media. Youth and Media, Mar. 2012. Web. 23 Jan.    2013.

"Digital Native Map Changing with Technology." PBS. PBS, Jan. 2011. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.

Joy, Oliver. "What Does It Mean to Be a Digital Native?" CNN. Cable News Network, 08 Dec. 2012. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.