Digital native verses Digital immigrant

Digital native verses Digital immigrant

Today world has change incrementally from the past. With the scenario change, inhabitants too change from that of the previous generations. A really big discontinuity has taken place.Today’s generation grown up with  new technology.  Their entire life has been change and surrounded by using computer, video games, digital music player, cell phones and all other tool of digital age. It is amazing to see today’s college students spent most of the time with the electronic gadgets. Computer games, email, the internet, cell phones and instant messages are integral part of their lives.

Today’s generation think and process information fundamentally different from their predecessors. And with certainty we must say that their thinking has changed. What should we call these “new generation of today? There are many possible references for them but the more useful designation is for them is digital natives. So what does that make the rest of us? Those of us who were not born into digital world but at least touched the few aspect of technology at some later point in our live are called digital immigrant. Today’s older folk were socializing different from their kids and are now in the process of learning new language.

To get the crystal clear of digital immigrant accent, some of the characteristics are stated below. It include needing to print out an email and document written on the computer in order to read and edit it (rather than just reading and editing on the screen) bringing people physically into our cubicle to see an interesting website (rather than sending them the URL)

On the other hand digital natives are used to receiving information fast. They like parallel process and multi –tasking. They prefer graphic than text. They function best when networked. They are used to downloaded music, phones in their pocket and library in the laptop.  But to huge extend, digital immigrant do not believe that younger generation can learn successfully while watching television or listening to music because they can’t. This is because they did not practice those skills constantly for all of their life. For them system is alien. Argument for this topic ends here with the questions. So, what should happen? Should digital native learn the old ways or should the digital immigrant learn the new?

                                             College students gaming through mobile phone