Born Digital
Book

Born Digital

Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey
Basic Books, 2008
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Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

  • Well Structured
  • Overview
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Many kids under the age of 15 have no idea what a typewriter is. Why would they be familiar with such an outmoded, archaic tool? They are members of “the first generation of digital natives.” Internet and law experts John Palfrey and Urs Gasser offer an accessible, informed and concerned investigation into cyberculture. Although they often indulge in platitudes and generalizations, they bring a new, useful focus to the discussion. They delve into such important issues as privacy and Internet safety, and they examine how these issues affect young people, in particular. Of necessity with this kind of structure, the authors repeat some of the same points, such as the glut of information and the interconnected nature of online life – but they do so to show how these core factors affect different areas. getAbstract recommends this book to lawmakers, hiring managers, teachers and parents who want to understand life in the cyberculture.

Summary

Who are the “Digital Natives”?

Digital natives are people born after 1980, who have spent their lives exposed to digital media. (Not all young people are digital natives: The access to computers, cell phones, social networking software and video games that defines them is not universal; geography and culture may limit it.) Digital natives act so differently, in so many ways, from non-natives that they sometimes seem like a new subspecies.

Many of their differences are positive: Digital natives have an almost instinctive fluency with new technologies, and they have always been connected to one another. They assume quick, easy access to information, and they collaborate readily. However, they don’t draw the previous generation’s distinction between life on- and offline. They share details of their lives that force older ideas of private and public to mutate. Digital natives need help from parents, educators, business and government to deal with the changes constant access to technology has caused.

Identity and Information

Broadly speaking, everyone has two identities:

  1. “Personal identity” – Everything that makes you special ...

About the Authors

John Palfrey is the vice dean of the Harvard Law School and chairs the Internet Safety Task Force. Urs Gasser teaches law at University of St. Gallen and has written or edited six books.

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