Don Tapscott's "Grown Up Digital" – Finally, someone gets us!

Think you’re smarter than your parents? Ever been told that technology is making you stupid? Author Don Tapscott comes to my generation’s defense in his book “Grown Up Digital.” He calls us the Net Generation and outlines the huge differences between us and the Baby Boomers as the result of Internet and technological advances. He is himself a Baby Boomer (born between 1946 and 1964), but has two “net gener” children (born between 1977 and 1997) from which he draws much of his inspiration.

*Note: I was born in 1991, so I, by Tapscott’s definition, am a Net Gener.

In his introduction, he outlines the opposition’s argument: the Net Generation is dumber that the previous generation was at their age, we have replaced healthy habits with an addiction to the screen, we share too much about our personal lives, we are indecisive, we steal, we bully, we’re violent, lazy, narcissistic, and we don’t care about anything of substance.

Oh no they di-in’t! The intro got me heated immediately. Seriously – I huffed and puffed a little bit.
Is that what they’re really saying about us? Jeeze. I know we’re not all the brightest crayons in the box, but this is harsh! Granted, I personally know people who exemplify each of those characteristics, but I do not believe that our entire generation is that lame, by a long shot. Tapscott provided the research (and a very optimistic attitude) to counter those statements. I won’t summarize it all; listing all the cool parts would take another blog entry (and I still have to finish the book…), but here are the basics.

Tapscott bases most of the book on what he calls the “Eight Net Generation Norms” (34). Tapscott wrote a prequel for this book, “Growing Up Digital,” so he’s done a ton of research to have figured them out. Again, his kids are a huge part of this, but throughout the book he demonstrates their applications to our behavior in education, employment, family, politics, and online. Also, he considers these the most divergent traits of the Net Geners compared to their parents.

1. Freedom. We are pretty used to having access to the things we want to know – where, what, and who, whenever we want. We’re not about to make demands about when classes should start or when we should show up to work, but as one net gener says: “We’re given the technology that allows us to be mobile, so I don’t understand why we need to be restricted to a desk; it feels like you’re being micromanaged” (76). We don’t want to commit to a lifetime career until we’ve had the chance to try out others, and when we do acquire those jobs, we want to be able to take breaks so that we can work when we’re most productive. Furthermore, this whole “Pick from two candidates from two political parties” system is just not doing it for us. Variety is far from burdensome – we expect it.

2. Customization. We design our own screen savers, ringtones, apps, news feeds, Netflix subscriptions, web browsers, playlists, profiles, and even job descriptions (once we’ve earned them) (79). We like to brand ourselves with logos and company names (Apple, North Face, Showtime, Subaru…. to name a few of my own). Pinterest, anyone? And whether we do that by buying their stuff, tweeting their media, or putting a sticker on our laptops, we choose those little things to convey our self image.

3. Scrutiny. You can’t believe everything that’s on the Internet, so we have become pros at deciphering the BS from what’s legit. Well, maybe we’re not pros, but we have a heightened awareness for scams and misrepresentations (80). Our generation is pretty good at telling whether it seems true (or just matches what we already believe), or if we should investigate a little further by searching the story on another news site. This also applies to what we buy and who we buy from. Thanks to online reviews, blogs, and the affordances of social media, we have more transparency to nail down not just what we consume but why. Are they ecofriendly companies? Are they treating their workers fairly? Are they portraying women in a discriminating way?
To our fault though, we’re not always the most scrutinizing about what we post on our Facebook pages. Shoot, I still have to untag some of those pictures of me with the red cups…

4. Integrity. Again, transparency has given us the ability to filter out the people and companies we support from those we oppose. With more knowledge, we have the capacity be more understanding, tolerant, and compassionate about things that previously had stigmas (such as mental disabilities [83]) and more discriminatory about companies who say one thing but do another. It’s not just about talking the talk anymore, because there’s video footage of you walking your walk on YouTube, Reddit, and Facebook.
On the other hand, we are also the culprits of not-so-upstanding activities like illegal music downloading and other forms of pirating (85-88).

5. Collaboration. Not only are we more capable than ever of communicating and sharing information with those around us, we recognize that no one person can possibly “know it all.” We share this humbling knowledge of how much we do not know because of the vast, extensive Web. We share music, files, jokes, memes, and emails for all sorts of reasons; we discuss our opinions and experiences about brands, companies, places, and people (89). Net Geners embrace dialogue and “want to feel that their opinion counts” (90). This extends to all aspects of our lives – work, play, and education.

6. Entertainment. For the most part, we are most productive when we enjoy what we’re doing. Some people call it ADD, but I consider it… selective attention distribution (SAD? Oh god, maybe not that then). We want to be emotionally satisfied and fulfilled by our work. Our ability to multitask enables us to write a paper and watch a movie at the same time. This doesn’t always maximize our productivity, but we will put more into our work when we have personal interest in the subject.

7. Speed. Speed, speed, speed.  Instant messages, bytes per second, company response, performance feedback, product delivery – we want our stuff… now (93). Why would I wait four weeks for those boots to FedEx when fall is starting in three? Why would I read that in a book if I can search in on Google Books and press Command+Find? Convenience, is one thing, but Speed is also tied to loyalty. Those who take too long to get back to us typically lose it, Tapscott says.
It does create in us a type of impatience in some other ways, but, I mean, I texted him like an hour ago!

8. Innovation. With the power of computers and the Internet, we can be productive, and faster than ever. It bothers us when innovation is slowed by old-fashioned hierarchies/bureaucracies. Remember calling the radio station on the way to school to request a song, and then hear it before rolling into the parking lot? Well iPhone application development isn’t quite that fast yet, but it’s getting there! As consumers, we want technologies to be capable, multi-purposed, and up-to-date.

Any of this sound familiar? I thought it did. But it’s not like a horoscope where you read it and say “ah, well, if they could prove it that’d be cool.” Tapscott actually backs up all these claims with research that makes us seem, well, pretty awesome. All those video games your brother plays? Turns out those skills are incredibly handy for surgeons, architects, and engineers.

Ok, so he’s kind of stroking our egos. But if his research is correct, we have a lot to be confident about – and a lot to live up to.

More on Tapscott to come!