We've talked a lot in my class about how millennials are the go-to people for technology woes and lack of knowledge. I'm sure every traditional college student has been asked by at least one of their parents to help with an email or online account. And I'm sure every one of us has sat in front of a relative's computer and said, "I have no idea what I'm doing." I've had that once or twice . . . or thrice.
Megan O'Neil wrote Confronting the Myth of the 'Digital Native'. She writes that in reality the knowledge of and skill level with technology that 'digital natives' possess is actually quite diverse (2). If you're a millennial and have friends who are not all the same, then you will know this is true. I, for one, do not have as near as much detailed knowledge as my computer science/informatics major friends do. When I think about it, my skills with technology only scrape the surface of what I could learn and know.
Would I like to know more? Sure I would. But there are other things I would rather study than all the little shortcuts and intricate workings of the internet and a laptop. It's also quite easy to learn something about modern technology: the internet, whether you use Bing or Google, can answer just about any question. If I really want to know something, I can just type in a simple question and wala! answer right at my fingertips.
Also in O' Neil's article is a quote by Ms. Hargittia, "Assuming that young people know all they need to know about technology means they often don’t have opportunities to learn or ask questions" (3). I don't know about anyone else, but I would have liked to have felt comfortable asking about Facebook in high school. Asking about Twitter or Instagram now is my dilemma. I am more comfortable with asking questions, but I feel like if I ask about Instagram or something I still don't know how to work on Facebook, my peers will look down their noses at me or at least chuckle derisively. Not that I haven't ever rolled my eyes or sighed when my mother asked me how to forward an email. Still, I think there is a lot to consider about presuming digital natives are gurus of all things new, shiny, and technical.
My knowledge of social media and the internet is average, but my skills with phones is lacking considerably. If a flip phone is the Stone Age of phones, then my LG sliding keyboard is the Iron Age. It works great for me, but when a friend hands me her Windows smartphone or iPhone 6 (what number are they on?), I stare at the screen like it's hieroglyphics. On the other hand, people seem to forget, at least temporarily, how to work old technology. If I give my phone to a friend, she usually asks me how to do this or that on it, even though it's a stone tablet.
I could make a call to action here, but I won't, because in truth, I do not think being considered a digital native a big deal. I might get embarrassed every now and then when someone middle-aged asks me to cure her computer's ailment, but besides that, I don't think it's much of an issue. After all, companies are looking for people who can utilize all the new technology out there and from what I have seen myself, there is no better way to learn new technology other than to dive right in--with a tad bit of caution, of course.
Bibliography: O' Neil, Megan. "Confronting the Myth of the 'Digital Native'" The Chronicle of Higher Education (2014): n. pag. 21 Apr. 2014. Web. 29 July 2015.
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