Sunday, 23 November 2008

Grown Up Digital

For those of you interested in generational stereotyping - and who isn't? - there is a new book by Don Tapscott, Grown up digital: how the net generation is changing your world (McGraw-Hill, 2008). I assume that the ambiguity of the term "grown up" in the title is intentional. Tapscott coined the term "the net generation" in 1997.

Reading a review of the book in a recent issue of The Economist, I was interested to read that "eight norms . . . define Net Geners". This generation, we are told
  • values freedom and choice in everything they do
  • loves customisation and personalisation
  • scrutinises everything
  • demands integrity and openness
  • wants entertainment and play in education and work as well as social life
  • loves to collaborate
  • expects everything to happen fast
  • expects constant innovation
These all seem to me to be good values and preferences and characteristics of a reasonable person in contemporary society. Nice checklist! I wonder what it means for libraries?

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