Marc Prenskys, “Emerging online life of the Digital native”, and David Weinberger’ s, “A New World”, both present different views of contemporary Internet users.
In light of your own experiences with technologies do you think they are accurate portrayals?
Discuss why or why not with specific examples.
Over a short period of time Technology has advanced rapidly and with it changing the daily lives of youth and adults. In the two extracts Marc Prenskys, “Emerging online life of the Digital native”, and David Weinberger’ s, “A New World” portrays two different viewpoints in a reflective way of the contemporary technology user. Prenskys describes two different groups, the Digital Native, the generation that was born into technology thus being the most knowledgeable in contempory technology and the Digital Immigrant those that where already socialized pre technology advancement and are therefore somewhat disadvantaged in this new virtual way of life. Making these two different groups tackle life and general activities totally differently. Weinberger portrayal is a little different based around the virtual world and its effect on society as one. This essay will elaborate and reflect on both extracts, and also compare with personal experience on contempory technology.
So Internet and technology is it a forcibly unstoppable problem or just a positive phenomenon for the digital Natives of today? Both Prenskys and Weinberger extracts bring good arguments, are informative and reflective in their research. In particular, Prenskys view points on varied area of change, and this comment being the most correct and outstanding observation “Online life has become an entire strategy for how to live, survive and thrive in the 21st century where cyberspace is part of everyday life”. (Prenskys 2004).
From experience as a” Digital Native” I think that Prenskys article is accurate in the areas of change from this new found technologic life. It outlines the main points and informs us of the different ways the digital natives are approaching their lives. From this I believe the most radical change is the way that they communicate and interact with one another. The Internet has taken over traditional ways of life, instead of only being able to only call on a telephone or face to face interaction there is now the internet, that allows this communication in many different ways, at anytime, but also text messaging an personal mobile phones. Digital natives have adapted to consume information fast and at great detail. Being skilled in many different areas of technology is also of a norm, multitasking, computer games, software knowledge all are just tools in this new technologic world. To the digital immigrant it can often be overwhelming. Though many have consumed parts of it at just at a much slower pace than that of the natives. Using technology mainly for convenience and professional areas of need.
Weinberger’s views of this new technologic world are different to those of Prenskys. He mainly looks at the Webs effect on society as whole and not individual groups. He argues that this new virtual world comes with great change in an already grounded society where culture and authority differ. He states that, “If we are entering a new world, then we are also becoming new people.” (Weinberger 2002) The extract continues to use examples throughout to back up his argument and uses all of society to explore the affects not just on youth like Prenskys does. His portrayal is accurate in its own views and argues that everyone is finding their feet with technology young and old, and it is affecting the way of life in general not just specifically one group.
Both extract are informative of the radical changes on society, the positives and the negatives. Neither is right nor wrong, they are differing in their arguments, although I believe that the changes are happening majority in youth, Digital Natives at this point in life. I think that the world of networking sites such a s facebook, myspace, blogs and twitter are the biggest phenomena in society today, being the most popular exposure tool for the digital natives. Prenskys s takes Blogs as one example: these sites allow Digital Natives to share their most intimate details of their personal and emotional lives, on a weekly, daily, or even hourly basis. (Prensky 2004) Although this can have its consequences, as stated in Weinberger’s extract when 18yr old Michael Campbell took on a persona on the internet to try his acting skills, when he made a threat about finishing the job done at the Walton's high school, Columbine, in Littleton, Colorado. These networking sites can also have many benefits like making friends, music band exposure and as an intellectual sharing tool for the digital immigrant. It is new way of growing up in society today, Prensky says, “Online is one of the key places, in addition to home, school and physical meeting places, where the Digital Natives are growing up. Like all young people, they explore, transgress, and test the limits in each of their spaces.” (Prensky 2004)
Both Prensky and Weinberger have both accurate portrays on the contemporary Internet user. We are living in a fast changing world, digital, virtual and real. The Digital Natives are just adapting to this new world and the immigrants though slower are still taking notice of this phenomenon. The World Wide Web has opened the doors to unlimited possibilities and like both authors state behaviors and traditional ways of life will always change and customize to this. Although there are the negatives as Weinberger states mostly there is also a massive amount of possibilities for the youth today because of this amazing change in the way we do things. With everything in life there comes great risk and the web should not be looked at in all negative form but at the fact that we are a changing world and we are always evolving.
References
The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984) and Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995).
Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995).
Jonassen, D. H. (2000). Computers as mindtools for schools: Engaging critical thinking. Columbus, OH: Prentice-Hall.
Prensky, M. (2001a, September/October). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.
Prensky, M. (2001b, November/December). Digital natives, digital immigrants, part 2: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6), 1-6.
Skerry, P. (2000, March/April). Do we really want immigrants to assimilate? Society 37(3), 57-63
Educational Leadership - Marc Prensky December 2005/ January 2006 volume 63 Number 4 Learning in the digital Age pages 8 – 13 Listen to the Natives
Weinberger, D (2002). A New World, Small Pieces Loosely Joined: A unified theory of the web.
Prensky, M. (2004). The Emerging Online Life of the Digital Native: What they do differently because of technology, and how they do it.
