PUC-RJ 2013/1

Are You A Digital Native or A Digital Immigrant?

[1] We all know that we are living in an increasingly

technologically driven world. Living here in the heart

of Silicon Valley I certainly feel it every day. In fact, I

don’t think I know a single couple in my neighborhood,

[5] other than my wife and I, who don’t work in the

technology field in some capacity. Our local companies

are Facebook, Apple, Google, Yahoo, and so many

venture capital firms that I can’t keep them straight.

But you don’t have to live in Silicon Valley to feel

[10] that the world is getting more and more technology

centered, focused, and driven. We can debate the

pros and cons of this reality but we can’t deny that

the world has changed very quickly in head spinning

ways. Two recent comments led me to finally enter

[15] the 21st century by getting a smart phone this week,

kicking and screaming.

First, I mentioned to one of my undergraduate

classes at Santa Clara University that I didn’t have

a smart phone, but rather I had a dumb phone. My

[20] phone can make and receive phone calls and that’s

about it. No email, internet, and so forth. So one of my

students looked at me in an odd and curious way, like

she was talking to someone from another planet, and

stated in a matter of fact manner, “Professor Plante,

[25] even 2^nd graders have smart phones.” Ouch!

Second, I was talking with a producer at the

PBS NewsHour who wanted me to do a live interview

within a few hours of his call regarding some late

breaking news about clergy sexual abuse, which is

[30] my specialty. I was out of the office and driving my

car when he called and in a matter of fact manner

he said that he wanted to send me some important

information to my smart phone to best prepare me for

the upcoming interview. When I told him that I couldn’t

[35] receive anything since I had a dumb phone and not a

smart phone, there was a long silence. He then said

he’d have to just read it to me over the phone as a

Plan B. He wasn’t happy ... neither was I.

In case you haven’t noticed, the 21st century is

[40] really upon us and to live in it one really does need

to be connected in my view. Although I often consider

myself a 19th or 20th century guy trapped in the 21st

century we really do need to adapt. For most of us

we are just living in a new world that really demands

[45] comfort with and access to technology.

This notion of digital native vs. digital immigrant

makes a great deal of sense to me. Young people

in our society are digital natives. They seem to be

very comfortable with everything from iPhones to TV

[50] remotes. Digital immigrants, like me, just never feel

that comfortable with these technologies. Sure we

may learn to adapt by using email, mobile phones,

smart ones or dumb ones, Facebook, and so forth but

it just doesn’t and perhaps will never be very natural

[55] for us. It is like learning a second language ... you can

communicate but with some struggle.

This has perhaps always been true. I remember

when I was in graduate school in the 1980s trying to

convince my grandparents that buying a telephone

[60] answering machine as well as a clothes dryer would

be a good idea. They looked at me like I was talking

in another language or that I was from another planet.

Perhaps we have a critical period in our lives for

technology just like we do for language. When we are

[65] young we soak up language so quickly but find it so

much harder to learn a new language when we are

older. The same seems to be true for technology.

So, this week I bought my first smart phone and

am just learning to use it. When questions arise, I turn

[70] to my very patient teenage son for answers. And when

he’s not around, I just look to the youngest person

around for help.

So, what about you? Are you a digital native or

a digital immigrant and how does it impact your life?

Adapted from “Digital Native vs Digital Immigrant? Which are you?” Published on July 24, 2012 by Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., ABPP in Do the Right Thing  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/do-the-right-thing/201207/ digital-native-vs-digital-immigrant-which-are-you retrieved on July 28, 2012