Grown Up Digital - Tapscott (2009)

I just finished Don Tapscott's latest book, Grown Up Digital. This drew upon extensive research that Tapscott's consulting company had done on behalf of several large corporations. Findings were based on over 7,000 interviews with Net Geners (18 - 29) from around the world and 1600 interviews with Gen X (30 - 41) and Boomers (42-61) from the US and Canada.

Tapscott provides strong support for the younger generation taking on critics, such as author Mark Bauerlein who has deemed the Net Generation as the "Dumbest Generation." Tapscott points out that raw IQ scores have steadily risen since WWII and that by that standard, the Net Generation is actually the "Smartest."

Tapscott's book is interesting, although at times tedious. He identifies eight characteristics of the Net Generation and contrasts them to the Baby Boomer generation. I found one observation by Tapscott to be particularly enlightening.

Critics of the Net Generation often observe that members of this generation have an unusually high propensity for returning to live at home as young adults. Alan November has coined this phenomenon "Boomerang Kids!" Some observers have attributed this tendency to a lack of desire for independence on the part of the Net Generation due to excessive coddling as children. Tapscott offeres a very different interpretation.

One difference between the Net Generation and Baby Boomers that Tapscott and others have noted is the Net Generation's propensity for returning to live at home as young adults. Some observers have criticized this tendency suggesting that it reflects a lack of desire for independence. Tapscott offers an alternate and interesting interpretation.

Boomers, Tapscott being one, grew up in highly hierarchical families. Children enjoyed little freedom at home. Outside the home, however, they experienced a great deal of freedom. Children and teens left home in the morning to play and had little adult supervision throughout the day. They came to associate freedom with being away from the home.

Boomers as parents, however, embraced a very different approach to parenting. They became much more involved in their childrens' lives outside the home. They structured play time, rehearsals, sports etc. At home, they tended to parent in a much more democratic way providing children with more input into decision-making.

With the ability to socially network with friends from home, Net Geners actually experienced more freedom and independence at home than outside of the home. Thus, Tapscott concludes that, unlike Boomers who longed to escape the restrictive home environment, Net Geners view home as a place where they can be independent. Tapscott also notes that the majority of Net Geners interviewed reported good relationships with their parents.

I would love to hear what others think about the above. Is Tapscott right, is this the smartest generation? Or is Bauerlein correct; are they the dumbest?

Are kids today coddled and ill-prepared for independent living? Or are they more independent, regardless of their environment?

What are the implications of these and the other Net Generation Norms for the future of education in America?

from Jason Ohler's 'Then What?'

Food for thought from Then What?:

"Maybe some day we will all consider ourselves citizens of cyberia first and will choose our governments second. Maybe we will choose them the way we choose any professional organization to belong to. Maybe we will commit to them for a certain period of time and then, depending on their track record, either renew our citizenship or go elsewhere."

While Then What? was a wacky read that I am still plodding through, this passage gave me pause. If our software can be chosen, subscribed to, and abandoned for the new and different, why can't our governments, and for that matter, our schools and classes?