Grown up Digital

Summary:

In Don Tapscott’s book, Grown Up Digital, he discusses coming of age of the Net Generation. While, Tapscott may not agree with all of these statements, he chose to include a list of the top ten issues relating to this generation’s character. One of the main bullet points voices concern about the amount of time people of the Net Generation are spending online. It claims that the Net Generation is made up of a bunch of internet addicts who lack social skills. People of the Net Generation rely on non-personal forms of communicating. Text messages and e-mails have taken the place of face-to-face conversations. And that rather than engaging in physical or healthy activities they spend their time staring at the screens of computers and televisions. Therefore, members of the Net Generation are out of shape both physically and socially.

Response:

I neither fully agree or disagree with this argument. I admit that people of the Net Generation, myself included, do spend more time with technology than any of the other generations. However, I do not agree with the idea that our use of technology is totally negative. Many of us do prefer texting to phone conversations in certain situations; however, that is not to say that we never carry on phone conversations. Text messaging is best for short questions/comments and quick responses. In addition, this list makes it seem that only the Net Generation uses these methods of communication when in reality many members of the older generations are just as guilty.