"Digital Native" and "Digital Immigrants"

 In "It's Complicated" by Danah Boyd Chapter 7 discusses the problematic language of "Digital Native" and "Digital Immigrants". He identifies the fact that this language and narrative is not only incorrect but it is also dangerous. This is the opposing view from Prensky who coined this idea. I personally agree with Boyd that the idea of "digital native" and "digital immigrant" is inaccurate and dangerous.

    I was born in 1999 which some may consider well within the digital age. I don't view it the same way. I believe that technology was definitely on the rise but in 1999 many people did not even have computers in their home and smartphones wouldn't come along until years down the road. But nonetheless I would be considered a "digital native" by Prensky and those who follow his ideology. Though that may be the case I have always felt illiterate when it came to technology. I am constantly comparing myself to others my age and when I look at them I feel less than. I have basic skills. I can change the settings on my phone and figure out how to change my password when I inevitably forget it but that's about it. My fiance even makes fun of me because I "google search like a dad". and this is supposed to be fun because a dad would probably be considered a "digital immigrant" . So because I don't hold the skills to effectively make a google search I am acting like a digital immigrant. This ties into Boyds idea that "digital natives" don't exist. Some people hold the skills because they learned them while others do not. It does not have much to do with age.

    Boyd said "When we assume that youth will just absorb all things digital through exposure, we absolve ourselves of our responsibility to help teenagers develop necessary skills." this made me think of the flip side. We all know at this point that the vast majority of jobs require some kind of digital knowledge. There have been many times where an older person, someone who was not born in the digital age, has come to me and asked for help sending an email or pulling up a document. If I were to turn them away with the idea that they are a "digital immigrant" and they will never learn because they were not born in the digital age, they would be upset and lose access to certain jobs. So why is this different for those you are younger without digital literacy? Each and every person deserves to learn the knowledge that they do not have and I don't think that age should have anything to do with it. 

    This brings me to the idea that was discussed in chapter 7 of "its complicated" which is access. Towards the end of the chapter Boyd states that the quality and knowledge of technology has a lot to do with access. the more access someone has to technology the better they are. HERE is an article that came out just days ago. This shows that even in 2023 where so much is dependent on the internet there are still so many in this country without access to it. 

In conclusion, I agree with Boyd. There is no such thing as a “digital immigrant” or a “digital native” there are just people with varying skills and need to learn the knowledge of how to successfully navigate media and technology.