Irma Villarreal
Chris Werry
RWS 100
10/05/15
Digital Natives Vs. Digital Immigrants
People believe that digital natives are supposed to know everything about digital media because after the 1980’s people grew up with technology around them. On the other hand, digital immigrants are classified as those who are not as familiar with technology since they have not grown up surrounded by it. In the article, “It’s Complicated the Social Lives of Networked Teens” by Danah Boyd, the author addresses students and adults with the purpose of informing them about how technology has different influences in them. The author argues that young people should learn how to utilize the Internet, so they can fully understand it rather than just supposing that they are informed about everything. She argues that technology has changed people’s lives, and those who adopted the fascinating ideas through the use of Internet have the ability to learn even though it is not easy. Three main claims that she uses to support her argument are “Both youth and adults have a lot to learn”(180), “Although developing technical skills is not widespread, doing so can become a part of meaningful participation”(182) and “…many adults assume that youth are digitally savvy…”(188) In this paper, I will analyze Boyd’s main claims and compare it to the next two different sources: Do “Digital Natives” Exist? By Idea Channel PBS Studios and “On Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives: How the Digital Divide Affects Families, Institutions, and the Workplace.” By Ofer Zur and Azzia Walker opinions, and I will also describe how Boyd distinguishes youth from adults. People refer to teenagers as if they all knew everything about the digital media, rather than seeing social media as something we can learn. The author gives an example saying that students who access the Internet in school, while doing their homework they have different experiences for example when they use a computer on school with restricted access during one hour and when they do their assignments on their laptop or smartphone. Digital natives are defined by the way they interact with other people and how they use information. Boyd argues that we should work in recognizing that technology can be harmful and helpful at the same time.
In the video Do “Digital Natives” Exist? By Idea Channel PBS Studios, the author of this film argues that all the technology has changed the way youth behave and even their brains. He states that “CNN said that digital natives were defined by the technology their familiar with.” He also addresses the authors of the book Born Digital by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser, these authors stated that all digital natives were born after 1980s and that they all have the skills to use this technology. This video supports Danah Boyd’s main claims because both of them argue that digital and immigrant natives are looked different by society. The article “How the Digital Divide Affects Families, Educational Institutions, and the Workplace” by Ofer Zur and Azzia Walker, the authors do not support Boyd’s main claim by stating that “While most digital natives are tech-savvy by virtue of their being born around technology, others do not have a knack for technology and computers, or even an interest or inclination to learn more.” These authors argue that there are three categories for the digital immigrants, the first one is called Avoiders: This group is basically those people who refuse to the use of technology; they do not have cellphones or e-mails because they prefer a certain lifestyle. The second group is called Reluctant Adopters: This group may be the one where most digital immigrants are part of. They accept and realize that technology have become part of our society and may have a basic cellphone but do not text or have a Facebook account. Lastly he introduces the last group, which is Enthusiastic Adopters: this group keeps up with natives, they realize how important is technology and give the best use to it. Digital immigrants who are part of this group check e-mail regularly and have a Facebook account to keep contact with their kids.
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