Mary Bernklau's List: Digital Immigrant

• Digital immigrants are those of us who came into this new environment later in life. Our brain had been tuned to the rhythms and complexities of natural time/space, and so we tend to respond to challenges one by one and step by step. Our social life focuses on direct interaction with friends and business contacts. We study the printed manuals of all new technologies we acquire, much like we read descriptive materials about places we intend to visit.

• A digital native can be defined as a person who was born after the introduction of digital technology. Digital Natives use online services like Facebook, YouTube, Hulu, and Twitter on various digital technologies, such as smart phones or a tablet device. Digital Natives have blended their online life with their offline life.

• Researchers use the term digital immigrant to classify people born before the introduction of digital technology. For Digital Immigrants, the popular technology for them was radio, television, newspapers, books, and magazines. Digital Immigrants are adapting to the digital technology introduced during their life time. Ironically, some Digital Immigrants created the digital technology used by Digital Natives.

   

  Different Types of Digital Immigrants

   

  If you are a Digital Immigrant, it does not mean you are automatically technically inept. You can actually be very technically astute.

• ot all Digital Immigrants fit into a single category. Current research classifies Digital Immigrants into three categories:

   
   
  1. Avoiders.
      This group does not adapt to new technology quickly, if ever. For example, my father-in-law still gets the newspaper, orders cigars through the mail, and uses the USPS to deliver letters to his friends. He is happy with his life.
   
  2. Reluctant Adopters.
      This group is aware of new technology and adopts to it at a slow pace. In many respects, I fall into this group. For example, I still have a second generation phone. It took me 10 years to finally get a DVR, even though I knew it would change how I watch television as soon as I saw it. I am happy with my life.
   
  3. Eager Adopters.
      This group enthusiastically adapts to new technology. They embrace it. For example, Jeremy Johnson, one of the organizers of the Big Design Conference, falls into this group. He seems to be plugged into every device, network, tech trend, and so on. Jeremy personifies an Eager Adopter. Jeremy is happy with his life, too.
   
   

  Digitial Immigrants can never become Digital Natives because they were not born after the introduction of digital technology.  Eager Adopters, however, are clearly the class Digital Immigrants that can relate more closely to most Digital Natives.

• n the same way that Digital Immigrants can be classified into three distinct groups, some interesting research from Dr. Ofer Zur (a Digital Immigrant) and Azzia Zur (a Digital Native) classifies Digital Natives into three sub-categories:

   
   
  1. Avoiders.
      This group consists of people, who are born during the digital age, and do not desire new technology. They are not enamored with Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, or Hulu. For example, I know a 14-year old, who prefers to paint portraits. She owns an iPad, only because her school books are on it. She only watches public television.  She sings in the church choir.  She is very happy.
   
  2. Minimalists.
      This group is aware that digital technology is a part of their daily life. They choose to interact with only the most interesting things to them personally. For example, I know a young person who does not have a Twitter account and avoids Facebook. She is not a gamer.  She sends emails and downloads books to her Kindle.
   
  3. Enthusiastic Participants.
      This group is the largest group of Digital Natives. Like their Digital Immigrant cousins the Eager Adopters, Enthusiastic Participants embrace and use all forms of digital technology. This group prefers texting and tweeting over sending out email blasts. They are aware of the latest technology, trends, and tools. Their online and offline lives are blending together.

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• Digital Immigrants - those people that grew up before the digital age where items such as home computers, the Internet and mobile phones were either non-existent or not as widely available. The general rule of thumb is that these people are 28 years of age or older. They are those people who adapt with these digital technologies.