Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives

There are a number of books written about this topic . . . the digital native. This one is the best. It has a depth of research that supports its excellent prose. This is a timely book and an important subject - - highly recommended.

Born Digital could best be described as book that explains the "digital lifestyle" of those born after 1980. It is best for someone that has children or family members who are active in the digital world, but do no understand how things work, or why they appear so exciting. The book references those that were born after 1980 as "digital natives" because they were born into a world with technology and technological changes that happened almost daily. They did not know an "old" way of doing things; electronically and digitally is the only way of doing things, and anything less is an inconvience, and not practical because they just were not born in a time where anything else exsisted. Managing online profiles is an extension of themselves and another facet of their personality, not a separate entity. When it comes to problems that are caused in the digital world, the network, which starts with the Digital Native at the center, then friends and family, teachers/coaches/mentors, trusted software companies, and the the law. All of these groups together have to be aware of what is going on in the digital world, in order to protect the digital native;who was not born with a sense of fear about the new technologies, because they have always been around. This book talks about common topics such as online identities, privacy, and safety, but it also talks about how Digital Natives are essentially changing the look and face of traditional business models. Digital Native and Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg, became "the center of the Web 2.0 movement". He changed the way that people connected with each other and changed information. He also received backing from Microsoft, but even with that...it was only a two percent stake in Facebook. Zuckerberg could best be described as the face of the evolution of digital entrepreneurship, and how Digital Natives have taken what they have grown up with, and to became leaders in business. Understanding this process is important because the digital world is growing and advancing even more everyday, so knowing the background and history will explain what come naturally to the Digital Natives. Classroom learning and school has also been changed by digital natives because they are used to being constantly connected to the Internet, using the internet for research and learning about new topics. The problems with digital learning, and other ethical issues are also discussed. However, this has also caused problems because they are also used to chatting, instant messaging and doing others tasks while online. One issue that has come up is that it is easier for students to cheat using information that they have found online. This book is a must read for anyone that is has not been immersed in the digital culture, is trying to avoid it at all costs, wants more information or knows someone that is a Digital Native. You will learn the pros, cons, problems, solutions and ethical issues issues that surround this su

Palfrey and Gasser's fine early history of this generation of "Digital Natives" serves as a starting point for any conversation about how to mentor and interact with the children of the Web. It's a comprehensive and very even-handed discussion about a variety of concerns or Internet pathologies, including: online safety, personal privacy, copyright piracy, offensive content, classroom learning, and much more. The authors offer a balanced treatment of these issues -- almost to a fault, in that they occasionally fail to develop fully their own positions. Of course, as they repeatedly -- and correctly -- note, often these thorny questions have no easy answers. "The hard problem," they point out, "is how to balance caution with encouragement: How do we take effective steps to protect our children, as well as the interests of others, while allowing those same kids enough room to figure things out on their own?" If there is a single solution, they argue, it's education. The authors want parents, educators, and lawmakers to do more to engage the digital generation in a dialogue, instead of leaving it to fend for itself. "The traditional values and common sense that have served us well in the past will be relevant in this new world, too," they maintain. But Palfrey and Gasser don't rule out additional tools and methods, including technical controls, industry self-regulation, social norms, and even government action. It's a solid treatment of a wide assortment of difficult issues. See my complete review of Born Digital at the Technology Liberation Front blog.

The first generation of 'digital natives' children born and raised in the digital world are coming of age, and our society will be changed by their perceptions and different worldviews. BORN DIGITAL considers these changing perceptions and is based on in-depth original research, including interviews from members of this generation. Philosophy blends with social issues and insights in an invaluable pick for a brave new world, perfect for any discussions or collections strong in social issues, philosophy or science. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

There is nothing more important than the safety of our children. There is also nothing more important than the education, creativity and innovation that has been, and can still further be, unleashed and harnessed with suitably crafted policies, and incentives, focused on the issues surrounding their use of digital media and other digital technologies, whether such policies and incentives come from parents, teachers, librarians, governments, lawmakers, or social media or other Internet-focused companies. These are some of the key subjects covered in Born Digital. But to begin to grapple with these issues, as the authors inform us, we must first understand Digital Natives. The term "Digital Natives" is used, generally, to refer to people born after 1980. The book Born Digital is about the issues surrounding Digital Natives and their intensive use of digital media and other digital technologies. Digital Natives were born into a world that was already pervasively digital. Assuming they were born into an advanced industrial economy - and are not otherwise at the low end of the participation or technological gap, Digital Natives did not transition from an analog world to a digital world as most of us have. Born Digital is especially focused on the issues surrounding Digital Natives' intensive use of the Internet and online social networks (like Facebook and MySpace) and other digital tools and media they use on a daily basis (such as instant messaging, texting, online chat rooms, video games, YouTube, etc.). We are no longer living in an analog world. The world - especially as experienced from the viewpoint of children and young adults who have access to these technologies - is now - but more importantly has been for them since they were born - digital. They were born digital. We had better learn to understand this age group (or cohort) to deal with it effectively and to craft policies and incentives that maintain and foster the good aspects of these technologies (and their interaction with such technologies), while minimizing the risks Digital Natives are exposed to - or at least not arrest the positive aspects of their use and involvement with ill-suited policies based on fear and ill-informed policy choices. The organization of Born Digital is excellent. It is organized tightly into coherent chapters dealing with a single overarching category or theme. Within each chapter, the authors elucidate some of the more pressing issues in each category or theme, and then provide specific guidance and suggestions to parents, teachers, lawmakers, librarians, etc. Being an attorney who was deeply interested during and immediately after law school in what was called at the time "Internet law" and intellectual property issues implicated by activities on the Internet, only to lose interest after the dot-com bubble burst, this book has reignited my interest in studying the technical, social, and legal aspects of the Internet. Born Digital has also