“YOURS DIGITALLY - DIGITAL NATIVES”

How many times in our days have we struggled with a smart Phone App or thumped through the user manual of a gadget only to have our little sons or brothers wrench it from us and fiddle with the controls only to get around it  in minutes ? Ever had an ‘OMG, I’m so old and technologically challenged moment?’ well, you’ve just entered the generation of the Digital natives.

Every day of our lives is subjected to change because of everyday technological innovation.  Most of us adapted to the acquired taste of technology, while some were born into it. Welcome to the land of digital natives – the new gizmo- geek land of our little brothers and sisters where technology is the order of the day.

A digital native, by definition is a generation who is born into the world of technology, and through continuous exposure to it, has a better understanding of it right from a very young age.

Digital natives are fast getting their tiny fingers around social networking, video gaming , mobiles and the internet . It is quite fascinating to see , our young brothers and sisters having their own Facebook profile , the entire works in place – profile pictures , funky albums , and in some cases even a frequent update on Foursquare! What stumps us further is , how our little siblings managed to set themselves up with an account on social networking sites , when they are clearly chained off at 18 years and above. “Oh that’s simple!  I only had to use my dad’s date of birth to set up the account. , says Vignesh , a seventh grader  digital native  grinning widely at his accomplished wildcard entry into the world of ‘adults’ at 13. On questioned what he does on facebook , he shrugs away that he usually chats with his friends, plays the games and Apps available and tries to make new friends while browsing for new apps and games .  A rather heavy plate for a 13 year old, who ought to be playing cricket on the streets , and having his knees scraped  and slurping on ice lollies!

Neeti , a 12 year old from Pune feels that Facebooking is the best way to ‘stay in touch’ with her friends from school , specially when her mom bans her from having long calls with her friends. “ I can always leave them a message , and they will reply instantly. This is easier than having long phone calls” says Neeti matter of factly. Exactly what a 12 year old has to communicate to her friends just hours after she has left from school beats us , digital immigrants .

The digital natives are fast surging through the corners of the world, getting their hands on every bit of technology that has advanced. Yes, they are witty and quick on the intake , well read and with nimble fingers that can work their way through complicated bits of technology , and more well read and street smart than most of us were , at our tiny tot years.

Most schools are facing the dilemma on the recent surge of this generation into their classrooms. On one hand they have children who are quick on the intake of learning , and take animation and Java classes right from sixth grade .  On the other hand , the teachers have children fiddling with their phones through classroom sessions and playing games under the desk. 

“It all comes down to the change in upbringing. These days’ children are given instant gratification to their needs. This can be attributed by the number of Tupperware lunch boxes that have been left unclaimed at our staff rooms . No child who has lost his Tupperware comes looking for them. They immediately get a new one from their parents. Something as expensive as Tupperware has no value for today’s children because they always know it can be replaced. This is because attachment to their belongingness has reduced considerably  because of losing interest and attention span . I attribute this as a black mark on the digital natives who function on impatience and instant gratification“sighs Uma Maheshwari , a teacher at a CBSE School in Pune.

Another aspect of digital natives has to do with their addiction to gaming. Gaming , specially the violent ones that involve beating people up on their PSPs has become the new sport for an average 13 year old over a good old game of cricket or ball. The same holds true for girls too. Every girl is seen lounging over a laptop chatting with her friends and changing her display pictures, her vulnerable self, being portrayed through the make believe world of social interaction we call the internet. Gaming centre’s in and around Pune jostle with these kids, every evening as their pocket money is willingly handed over for the coins , that allow them to bash a hulk up, According to Ajay , a little boy of 12 , his ideal Saturdays are spent , playing counter strike with his best friend , holed up in their room all day! It’s no wonder our parks are being bulldozzered to make way for more skyscrapers. Our little children are too busy in a world of their own to care!

This is the nation of the digital natives – a smarter one no doubt , a faster one , a generation that loses interest at the whisk of a cats tail, a generation that can think better and faster than anyone else.  On the flipside they are a generation where over 52 % of our kids spend more than 5 hours online every day with Mumbai having the most number of children addicted to the computer, closely followed by Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.

The Privacy department of Facebook reports over 20000 fake underage profiles of facebook as of 2012, which are deleted in chunks every day! Sony Play station India envisages an overwhelming growth in the gaming industry in the next two years specially in localized content. All this, only for a generation that includes our children , and their successors. To wrap it up, the digital natives are here to stay, they have the panache, they understand technology , and they have the power  and they have options– the question is what will they do with it?