Are Digital Natives Mythical or a True Sense of our Modern Reality?

To begin this discussion, we have to focus on defining what a digital native is. A digital native is someone born in to the world of technology and are comfortable around technology as they have grown with it (Jordan, 2016). This is why I believe that digital natives are truly a sense of our modern reality.

During my own life, I have experienced that those who grew up with technology were most comfortable around technology than those that weren’t. Teachers, born into a world that did not have technology therefore classified as digital immigrants, struggled to catch up with technological advances and this put students at a disadvantage (Marc Prensky, 2001). During the COVID pandemic, it was obvious that those who weren’t born into the world of digital advances really struggled to catch up with the demands of technology throughout the lockdown. By realising that technology is a major part of society today and that digital natives are more comfortable around it than digital immigrants, we are able to place individuals in comforting situations as well as providing education for those who need it.

However, because technology is only new and still evolving, digital natives can become digital immigrants as more and more technology is discovered (Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira, 2018). This means individuals will never be able to fully understand technology and therefore it can be a blackhole trying to learn every part of technology. By understanding as much of technology as a person can, it allows individuals to delve deeper into their studies or professions. Because the world of technology was made to make man’s work easier, we can use this to our advantage.

Unfortunately, being a digital native usually leads to a lack of soft skill, which means that they would struggle with human interaction and can also have a negative impact on their professions. This is why I would encourage both digital natives and digital immigrants to become familiar with the uses of technology, in order to help steer them both career and study wise to learn what they don’t know however, keep in mind the social interaction. Because digital natives are born into a world with technology, they are more comfortable in dealing with the growing technological advances. This means as individuals of the digital native age we should encourage the learning of more technological advances and allow individuals to step out of their comfort zone.

Digital immigrants should push themselves to accept the newer ages of technology, learning what they don’t know and incorporating it in their daily lives. Society is pushing individuals to use technology in a way that is helpful and easier to the individual. This is why teachers can use this information in their classrooms. By using multiple technological devices such as an electronic whiteboard, laptops, computers, calculators, Google and so on, teachers open the eyes of digital natives to new things (Manuel Au-Yong-Oliveira, 2018). This allows students to incorporate their prior knowledge to new knowledge and allows them to experience things that they would in the wider world.

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References:

Au-Yong-Oliveira, M., Gonçalves, R., Martins, J., & Branco, F. (2018). The social impact of

technology on millennials and the consequences for higher education and leadership. Telematics and Informatics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.10.007

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the Horizon.

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/docview/214629645?accountid=8194

Jordan, P. (2016). How to define millennials?. Gen C Traveller.

https://genctraveller.com/how-to-define-millennials/