The digital native. A
new way to describe those that have been raised and exposed to social and
connective technologies first hand.
Those that have seen them not only as a typical part of life but also a
language of life. So that makes me an
immigrant?
I have tried to wrap my head around the idea that I might
have been passed finally generationally.
It is difficult for myself to believe that I have now handed the torch
to this new digital native. I am now,
and forever will be a digital immigrant. The social abilities and infrastructures
were simply not around when I was growing up.
I didn’t even own a cell phone in high school. How can I be surprised that I am no longer in
the front running for tech savviness?
I think the hardest pill to swallow—and what typically separates
any adolescent and adult—is absents of time.
Time is what, for the most part, gives teens the ability to not only
understand a certain technology but to own it as well. Many teens have endless amounts of time for
many technologies and they devour them.
Whereas I simply try to entertain myself with coming technologies while
never having the ability to master them because of my now boring adult responsibilities. How awful.
I tend to notice this trend many times with one specific technological
realm: gaming. I have decided no matter how hard I try I can
never be any better than that nine-year-old boy that not only plays StrarCraft
II but lives StarCraft II. I cannot
compete. I can no longer master things
as the younger generation can. I do not have
the time.
Also, it’s important to note that the stepping stone for the
coming generation is not Super Mario,
its Call of Duty—the sheer difference
in hand eye coordination and virtual realm awareness is shocking. And it doesn’t end with just video games; it’s
all technologies. Johnny’s first phone
was an iPhone. My first phone was a
Sport Illustrated football phone. Because of this Johnny has a head start in
digital knowledge. I cannot expect to
compete with the adolescent giants of technologies. I can only hope to utilize their new
hyper-multitasking and creative abilities to cypher through new information.
I hope that I am game.
Robert Stewart
Robert Stewart
I studied design in undergrad and it is shocking to me that, only three years out, I hardly recognize any of the software that current design students use! I just updated my software and while I can navigate most of the Adobe changes, I can tell that I am very behind. I think that you are right that as time progresses we have less time to learn new technologies but hopefully we can admit this and learn a thing or two from the students along the way.
ReplyDeleteI love your post and your humor. I know just how you feel. I think you're right about the time issue. At least for me anyways, time and energy both are obstacles. And knowledge as well. I took a distance education course last semester and I couldn’t believe all the applications out there and what they can do. Where have I been that I didn’t know about these things?
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up a great idea about time and the time these digital natives have to devote to learning new technologies. Those of us who are now classified as digital immigrants are adults and have adult responsibilities and thus less time to devote to learning new technologies that may not be high on our priority list. Great blog!
ReplyDelete