This reading was focused on the generational gap between the "digital natives," and the "digital immigrants," or the digital generation and their parents and grandparents. I, as a digital native, could relate easily to this article, as I've seen firsthand the difficulties my parents have with technology. They don't understand why I prefer texting to phone calls, or why I check facebook several times a day; they don't trust the online sites where I order clothes from. Because it was so long before we even had internet at our house, they have always trusted me not to visit unreliable sites; however, it took me a long time to convince them that myspace and facebook wouldn't give our computer viruses. They do, however, have a certain respect for the efficiancy with which I work and communicate; they understand how useful technology has been in my work process as well as finding job opportunities. Overall, they respect technology and see how important it is for success for someone in my generation, but they have no interest in becoming as proficient as I am in technology use; they are content to learn what they need, and to ask me to do the rest. Like many digital immigrants, they are happy to joke about their lack of technological capability, and to simply rely on old methods to get the job done. They are less concerned with privacy, bullying, and predators than the writers of this article; I was old enough when I got online that I knew the consequences of my actions online, and I knew not to get involved with sites that would allow strangers to find me or my information.
This brings me to another interesting point in this article: the crossroads we find ourselves at with this new technology based era. Having witnessed some of the negative outcomes of living in a technology based world, I've seen the damage kids are subject to when they find themselves entangled with bad websites; for instance chat rooms with pedophiles in them, or gambling sites that take their parents' credit card information. There are many places on the web that are not safe; I am inclined to agree with the article that we should inform kids about what is safe and acceptable rather than simply trying to block them from what we think isn't safe. This means that all generations must have some understanding of the digital world to successfully guide their children to use technology to benefit themselves. One story that comes to mind in reference to this argument is that of a teenage girl who was cyber-bullied to the point of committing suicide. Megan Meier was a 13 year old girl who was harrassed via myspace until she committed suicide. Megan's mother Tina came to my high school and spoke about the incident; it was her way of finding something positive in such a tragic event. Megan's story was really strange because of the identity of her attackers: it was a classmate and the classmate's mother. The unnamed girl's mother helped her daughter to create a fake myspace account and then helped her use it to harrass Megan repeatedly. This is a prime example of digital immigrants using technology the wrong way, and setting all the wrong examples for their children. Though digital natives grow up knowing how to use the technology, they must be taught to use it to benefit themselves and others, not to hurt others or endanger themselves. I feel that there is a fine balance that must be obtained to reach this goal, as we will only become more technology inclined.
Overall, I feel that this article was a positive one, highlighting the benefits that can come from growing up a digital native. Technology is our future, and growing up in the middle of it gives digital natives a great advantage. However, there are other aspects of this technological era to consider, for instance the dangers that are out there on the web. I feel that the best way to deal with these is to embrace technology and do what we've always done, trying to raise our children as best we can and with strong values and morals to keep them on the right track.
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