Are You a Digital Alien, Digital Immigrant, or Digital Native? ...Marketing to the Digital WHO… | Social Media Today

Digital Immigrants are approximately ages 30-60 years and are the early and late adopters of the Web2.0 technologies. Most Immigrants were born “before the existence of digital technology and adopted it to some extent later in their life.” They were brought up with a variety of computer technologies, used them in different contexts and have varied levels of experience with social media. By necessity they have accepted the realities of the digital revolution and are scurrying to understand their role and learn the basics. For the most part these business people think in silos; they see marketing as separate tools that can be added to the marketing mix— advertising (e.g., print, TV , radio), direct mail, websites,  outdoor and now social and mobile media. They use social media as an add-on to their current market efforts. They dabble, try out the newest app, struggle and search for answers and understanding. They need to be guided to develop a digital mindset,  refine their experience in 1-2 social tools and integrate these tools into their business strategy.