Growing Up Wired
from the the-next-generation dept
The San Jose Mercury News did a big study about teenagers today who grew up connected to the internet, pointing out that being technology savvy is no longer a “geek” thing. Just about any of these kids have more technology skills than many adults, and are so used to dealing with technology that it comes naturally to them to pick up new skills. There’s also the expected stories about how much technology pervades their lives. Technology is an integral part of how they communicate with each other. While the article focuses on kids in Silicon Valley, the belief is that it’s a leading indicator of how kids are growing up around the country. They did also find some “digital divide” as kids from poorer households are limited to using school computers and cannot connect from home. Nothing all that surprising, but a good snapshot of where things are today.
Comments on “Growing Up Wired”
The Contrast
I recall the 1990s when Baby Boomers seemed to take pleasure in predicting that Gen-Xers have no future other than flipping hamburgers at McDonald’s, that we are a generation of ne’er-do-wells and super-predators. Today’s articles (written by Gen-Xers) do not bash kids.
No Subject Given
Take some of these technologically “gifted” teens back 10 years and have them set up a “hallway print server” with the technology that was widely available then. The public didn’t suddenly become telecom-adept back in the ’40s and ’50s when they became “telephone operators” – the technology changed and got easier to use.
Tech is a fad, they’re immersed in it, good for them. What are they going to do with it?