As an educator who works with adolescents, I cannot help but deliberate on technology and social media. I use technology every single day. In fact, I am connected 24/7. Thought that was not always the case. I had an analogue childhood. The children of today have it different. The rise of technology has changed the way we live our lives, and this has created a divide between two generations – the digital immigrants and the digital natives. In this post, I want to explore this divide, the impact of technology on our lives, and what we can learn going ahead.
Digital Immigrants Vs Digital Natives
Digital immigrant is a term used to describe individuals who did not grow up with digital technology and have had to adapt to its use later in life. These individuals often have had to learn how to use technological devices and the internet as adults and may not be as comfortable or fluent in using them as digital natives. Digital immigrants are typically older generations who were born before the advent of digital technology and did not have access to it in their formative years. They may have had to learn how to use computers and the internet later in life for work, communication, or other purposes.
Digital native is a term used to describe individuals who have been exposed to digital technology and the internet from a very young age, and have grown up using it as a part of their daily lives. These individuals are often very comfortable with technology and are able to use it with ease and fluency. They are younger generations who were born after the advent of digital technology and grew up in an environment where computers, smartphones, and the internet were readily available. They are accustomed to using digital devices to communicate, learn, socialize, and consume media.
Digital Intermediaries
I am neither a digital immigrant nor a digital native. I am what we could refer to as a digital intermediary (or digital in-betweener). My generation is an important one because we bridge gap between these two distinct cohorts of digital immigrants and digital natives.
My generation is typically composed of individuals born in the 1980s and 1990s. We were exposed to digital technology during our childhood or adolescence but did not grow up with it as an integral part of our lives. Because of our unique position, we have a foot in both worlds and can serve as important mediators between digital immigrants and digital natives. We have a familiarity with digital technology that is lacking in older generations yet are not as immersed in it as younger generations, which gives us a more balanced perspective.
Moreover, we have played a key role in the adoption and integration of digital technology into various domains, including education, business, and social media. For this, we have a moral responsibility to guide and shape the way we use technology in a positive and beneficial way.
While everyone should use technology responsibly, we, as digital intermediaries, are in the best position to promote healthy and productive technology use. For this, I call on all digital intermediaries to engage in intentional conversations on the healthy use of techn9lgoy and social media.
I will be exploring this idea in further posts, so stay tuned.