Is there an irreconcilable divide between Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants? In short, no. We can all get along.
Digital natives are those born into technology (after the 1990s), they know no reality pre Web (and related technologies), grew up with it and take it for granted. It comes natural to them, so they have it as a big advantage.
Digital Immigrants have had to adapt to the digital technologies that came along when they were older, and were used to the “old ways”.
Both can and should work together. But I’ll let Sree talk about it in the video below.
As for me, I’m not really sure what to call myself. I’m sure not a Digital Native, having been born on the 1970s. But, as I was in college, the web came along and I “got it” from the very beginning and have been there the whole way. So, am I a Digital Early Adopter? What do you think we should call this group of people who have known and worked on the web since its beginning? Leave a comment and let’s discuss.
I leave you with a TEDx talk by Sree Sreevinadan, Chief Digital Officer of the New York Met Museum, where he makes a great point about these two groups, a point I totally agree with.
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