Digital Natives? yeh right

Our generational classification will die an untimely death because of the very thing that many define us by; the internet. With more people online everyday, the gaps in common experiences and cultural differences has been closing very quickly. War is not a fight against foreigners for honor and glory; it is an attack against people we’ve chatted with, IMed, emailed, and more. The world is gaining a face where before it had none, and our voices are being heard across the planet.The concept of a digital native has romanticism to it; it evokes images of The Matrix, Hackers, and other conceptions of a digital future. However, the truth is far from this perception. The internet is evolving into everything- from phone service to mapping mars, if there is a task to do, there is a PC function to do it easier. This leads into my first point: convenience breeds necessity. Anyone, and I mean anybody, can use the benefits of a PC. The amount of tasks that can be performed by these computers have made the PC almost as universal as a phone. My grandma has a PC for one thing only: to play spider solitaire and minesweeper. I kid you not, PC use has become the norm for people of all walks of life, and the diversity of the internet population is staggering.As the technology behind these changes evolves, more of the people outside of this “digital native” group become exemplary in their use of the tools us “natives” are characterized for. Many generalizations fall prey to this sort of assumption. If MTV had asked the “grunge” bands of the 90’s about their flannels, they may have learned that flannels were really comfy and altogether a means to stay warm in the cold seasons in Seattle. The problem inherent in these classifications is then one of people defining themselves and foregoing the counsel of their peers in their decision. However, this problem could be perceived as a solution. With books calling out my generation as the “dumbest generation”, I can see where excluding an opposing point could be seen as the only means to make that argument in the first place. Dead men tell no tales, and without a clear refutation of his claims, or even recognizing the opposing viewpoint, Baurlein seems to be appealing to those whom would see themselves as outside the “digital natives”. Though I do not believe this to be intentional, the result is one where those who wish to classify and generalize are being endorsed in their ignorance. Our nation has been fighting for equal rights since birth. So the dilemma I see is one where those who call others dumb or make outrageous demands of often prove themselves to be the ignorant fools they classify others to be.
In Response to Generational Myth by Siva Vaidhyanathan.