Digital Natives and Internet Culture - Revision history

Sethwoodworth at 21:34, 6 April 2010

2010-04-06T21:34:27Z

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	Today's remote participation will take place ~~[here~~ http://piratepad.net/berkmanapril6].		Today's remote participation will take place at http://piratepad.net/berkmanapril6.

	Particularly among digital natives (the community of individuals growing up with the web), the explosion of high bandwidth, persistent internet access has fostered the creation of a dynamic universe of active online communities. In turn, these communities have emerged with their own unique practices, cultural touchpoints, and body of content. Particularly in the last few years, they have grown larger -- and increasingly influence the media and cultural environment beyond the Internet. Our concepts about cultural production and community, particularly with regards to concepts of celebrity and subculture -- are actively being revised.		Particularly among digital natives (the community of individuals growing up with the web), the explosion of high bandwidth, persistent internet access has fostered the creation of a dynamic universe of active online communities. In turn, these communities have emerged with their own unique practices, cultural touchpoints, and body of content. Particularly in the last few years, they have grown larger -- and increasingly influence the media and cultural environment beyond the Internet. Our concepts about cultural production and community, particularly with regards to concepts of celebrity and subculture -- are actively being revised.

Sethwoodworth at 21:33, 6 April 2010

2010-04-06T21:33:58Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:33, 6 April 2010
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			Today's remote participation will take place [here http://piratepad.net/berkmanapril6].

	Particularly among digital natives (the community of individuals growing up with the web), the explosion of high bandwidth, persistent internet access has fostered the creation of a dynamic universe of active online communities. In turn, these communities have emerged with their own unique practices, cultural touchpoints, and body of content. Particularly in the last few years, they have grown larger -- and increasingly influence the media and cultural environment beyond the Internet. Our concepts about cultural production and community, particularly with regards to concepts of celebrity and subculture -- are actively being revised.		Particularly among digital natives (the community of individuals growing up with the web), the explosion of high bandwidth, persistent internet access has fostered the creation of a dynamic universe of active online communities. In turn, these communities have emerged with their own unique practices, cultural touchpoints, and body of content. Particularly in the last few years, they have grown larger -- and increasingly influence the media and cultural environment beyond the Internet. Our concepts about cultural production and community, particularly with regards to concepts of celebrity and subculture -- are actively being revised.

Kaurigem: /* Class Introduction */

2010-04-06T16:32:12Z

Class Introduction

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 == Class Introduction ==
 As a teacher who has been working with digital natives since they were 12 years old, I do not feel that "digital natives" know more about computers than those of us born before 1980. A better name for this cohort might be "networked natives." It isn't the computer stuff that comes naturally, it's the network and our own ability to contribute to it. Kids today sit as blankly as any elder technophobe in front of a new piece of software. Instead, it is the concept that they can connect to anyone they want, whenever they want and produce whatever they want to share and make those connections that they take for granted. Clay Shirky, in his talk at the Berkman Center, said "The moment the technology becomes boring the social effects get interesting."
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 --[[User:RyanHuling|RyanHuling]] 13:35, 6 April 2010 (UTC)
 == Class Discussion ==

RyanHuling at 13:35, 6 April 2010

2010-04-06T13:35:29Z

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	--[[User:Lizbdavis\|Lizbdavis]] 12:36, 6 April 2010 (UTC)		--[[User:Lizbdavis\|Lizbdavis]] 12:36, 6 April 2010 (UTC)


			As someone who is both a Millennial and a manager of other people from my generation, I have had the unique experience of not only deciphering how my own Digital Native habits and practices play into today’s workforce, but I also have the responsibility to set the standard by which my supervisees will operate. Having walked this line, and observed my co-workers in action, one thing is clear: The current crop of young people will be defined historically by the advent of the Internet.

			Due to their ubiquitous connectedness to friends and family through technology, they live in a world of instant gratification. A world where unlike their grandparents—who took pride in working for the same company for decades until retiring honorably—they have no reservations about leaving a job they don’t like, in an effort to find a position that meshes with their creative side and embraces them as an individual. They can multitask like no generation before them, and absorb information through new media at a pace that leaves their parents (and most of the rest of society) in the dust. <b>Fast, creative, and unrestricted by traditional norms—indeed, they are the Internet personified.</b>

			Already, there are entire Human Resources training programs and national conferences dedicated exclusively to learning about the work habits and traits of this generation of digital natives. Companies like Google are actively recruiting Millennials to their staff, offering perks that no Baby Boomer would have ever expected, including in-office swimming pools, professional massages, three free gourmet meals a day, and wifi-enabled shuttle buses to and from work.

			Like certain aspects of the Internet, they are subject to ridicule from people of an older generation, who consider them to be confusing, frustrating, or worse, a waste of time. Increasingly though, public opinion is shifting. As the CNET reading indicated, whether through companies making actual dollar-and-cent profits off of selling virtual goods on World of Warcraft and Second Life, or by students using MySpace to organize statewide school walkouts in protest of federal immigration legislation, what was once seen as a giant time-suck has morphed into a source of admirable revenue, and a breeding ground for new ideas and social movements.

			It has also become clear that the laws the Internet does not inherently respect, young people raised on the Internet do not respect either. Even as far back as 2003, surveys conducted by CBS News showed that almost 70% of 18 – 29 year olds thought file-sharing was acceptable, at least in some circumstances, which runs in stark contrast to copyright laws and the music industry stance on the practice. Indeed, the law and corporate standards are both set by people outside of this demographic (at least at present), so it’s not surprising that it would lag behind public opinion on these matters.

			We can’t help but wonder though, whether these idealistic young people will adapt and become more traditional with time, or whether their opinions—unreasonable as they may seem today—are the future. When this generation is running the show, will file-sharing still be seen as theft, or is it the new mix-tape? Does technology’s allowance of armchair activism—such as appropriating “Hussein” as one’s middle name on Facebook, or joining an “I’m With CoCo” group to support your favorite late-night host—make traditional modes of expression, like protests and public rallies, less necessary? If the borderless universe of the Internet is helping to shape the society we live in, which realm is the “real world”?

			Additional sources:

			[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5309238 "Text Message, MySpace Roots of Student Protests", NPR]

			[http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/2006/inside_google/ "Life in the Googleplex", TIME Magazine]

			[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/18/opinion/polls/main573990.shtml "Poll: Young Say File Sharing OK", CBS News]

			--[[User:RyanHuling\|RyanHuling]] 13:35, 6 April 2010 (UTC)


	== Class Discussion ==		== Class Discussion ==

Lizbdavis: /* Class Introduction */

2010-04-06T12:43:32Z

Class Introduction

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	Here are a few more resources on Digital Natives:		Here are a few more resources on Digital Natives:

	[http://www.danah.org/papers/talks/PennState2009.html "Living and Learning with Social Media" a talk by Danah Boyd at Penn State on April 18, 2009]		[http://www.danah.org/papers/talks/PennState2009.html "Living and Learning with Social Media" a talk by Danah Boyd at Penn State on April 18, 2009]

Lizbdavis: /* Class Introduction */

2010-04-06T12:43:15Z

Class Introduction

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	[http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change.pdf Pew Report on Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next]		[http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change.pdf Pew Report on Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next]

			[http://pewresearch.org/millennials/quiz/ Take this Quiz: How Millenial Are You?]

	--[[User:Lizbdavis\|Lizbdavis]] 12:36, 6 April 2010 (UTC)		--[[User:Lizbdavis\|Lizbdavis]] 12:36, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

Lizbdavis: /* Class Discussion */

2010-04-06T12:42:53Z

Class Discussion

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	[http://www.youtube.com/user/MuppetsStudio#p/u/16/zSDj7bjAv2s A few muppets briefly muse about Internet culture]		[http://www.youtube.com/user/MuppetsStudio#p/u/16/zSDj7bjAv2s A few muppets briefly muse about Internet culture]

	~~[http://pewresearch.org/millennials/quiz/ Take this Quiz: How Millenial Are You?]~~

Lizbdavis: /* Class Introduction */

2010-04-06T12:42:35Z

Class Introduction

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:42, 6 April 2010
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	As a teacher who has been working with digital natives since they were 12 years old, I do not feel that "digital natives" know more about computers than those of us born before 1980. A better name for this cohort might be "networked natives." It isn't the computer stuff that comes naturally, ~~its~~ the network and ~~their~~ own ability to contribute to it. Kids today sit as blankly as any elder technophobe in front of a new piece of software. Instead, it is the concept that they can connect to anyone they want, whenever they want and produce whatever they want to share and make those connections that they take for granted. Clay Shirky, in his talk at the Berkman Center, said "The moment the technology becomes boring the social effects get interesting."		As a teacher who has been working with digital natives since they were 12 years old, I do not feel that "digital natives" know more about computers than those of us born before 1980. A better name for this cohort might be "networked natives." It isn't the computer stuff that comes naturally, it's the network and our own ability to contribute to it. Kids today sit as blankly as any elder technophobe in front of a new piece of software. Instead, it is the concept that they can connect to anyone they want, whenever they want and produce whatever they want to share and make those connections that they take for granted. Clay Shirky, in his talk at the Berkman Center, said "The moment the technology becomes boring the social effects get interesting."

	The remaining readings and video for this week illustrate the power of the prosumer (producer/consumer) and his/her ability to affect the world. The Chocolate Rain and All Your Base Are Belong to Us memes demonstrate the unpredictability of these effects. As Christian Lander says in his interview about the people he met at ROFLcon "Everyone at that conference who made it, none of them thought anything was going to happen from what they were doing. They were all like, 'I did it because it was fun for me.'" It was fun and easy to do. Anyone can make a video. Everyone has the potential to become Internet famous. Digital natives take that for granted. We are all just one blog post, one video, one song away from fame and fortune. If any "asshole with a blog," according to Lander, can make it big, then so can I. Maybe we are all just digital assholes...		The remaining readings and video for this week illustrate the power of the prosumer (producer/consumer) and his/her ability to affect the world. The Chocolate Rain and All Your Base Are Belong to Us memes demonstrate the unpredictability of these effects. As Christian Lander says in his interview about the people he met at ROFLcon "Everyone at that conference who made it, none of them thought anything was going to happen from what they were doing. They were all like, 'I did it because it was fun for me.'" It was fun and easy to do. Anyone can make a video. Everyone has the potential to become Internet famous. Digital natives take that for granted. We are all just one blog post, one video, one song away from fame and fortune. If any "asshole with a blog," according to Lander, can make it big, then so can I. Maybe we are all just digital assholes...

	The power of the network, however, is not limited to the silly and strange~~, it~~ also demonstrates power to make political and social change. Shirky describes several examples of "collective action" where group forming on the Internet led to new laws about how long airlines can keep passengers on the runway, and regime change in dictatorships. More recently, we have also seen these forces at work in the Iran Election~~, natural disasters (Tsunami) and terrorist attacks (Mumbai, India)~~. The Scientology vs. Anonymous post shows the power of a group of otherwise powerless individuals to attack a large wealthy organization. Shirky points out that these tools are used differently when deployed in high vs low freedom environments. In the US we have Chocolate Rain, in Belarus they have Chocolate Ice cream.		The power of the network, however, is not limited to the silly and strange. The network also demonstrates the power to make political and social change. Shirky describes several examples of "collective action" where group forming on the Internet led to new laws about how long airlines can keep passengers on the runway, and to regime change in dictatorships. More recently, we have also seen these forces at work in the Iran Election. The Scientology vs. Anonymous post shows the power of a group of otherwise powerless individuals to attack a large wealthy organization. Shirky points out that these tools are used differently when deployed in high vs low freedom environments. In the US we have Chocolate Rain, in Belarus they have Chocolate Ice cream.

	The network can also create virtual wealth, as demonstrated in the article "Real Money in a Virtual World." Players in Online world are buying and selling property and powers to take them to the next level. Hunter, an online player, believes "virtual economies will grow to the point where they will become a vital sector of the U.S. economy." It seems social tools are also used differently in capitalist vs communist societies.		The network can also create virtual wealth, as demonstrated in the article "Real Money in a Virtual World." Players in Online world are buying and selling property and powers to take them to the next level. Hunter, an online player, believes "virtual economies will grow to the point where they will become a vital sector of the U.S. economy." It seems social tools are also used differently in capitalist vs communist societies.

Lizbdavis: /* Class Introduction */

2010-04-06T12:37:35Z

Class Introduction

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:37, 6 April 2010
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	Here are a few more resources on Digital Natives:		Here are a few more resources on Digital Natives:
	[http://www.danah.org/papers/talks/PennState2009.html "Living and Learning with Social Media" a talk by Danah Boyd at Penn State on April 18, 2009]		[http://www.danah.org/papers/talks/PennState2009.html "Living and Learning with Social Media" a talk by Danah Boyd at Penn State on April 18, 2009]

	[http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change.pdf Pew Report on Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next]		[http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change.pdf Pew Report on Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next]

Lizbdavis: /* Class Introduction */

2010-04-06T12:36:51Z

Class Introduction

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:36, 6 April 2010
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	([[User:Kaurigem\|Kaurigem]] 21:31, 1 April 2010 (UTC))		([[User:Kaurigem\|Kaurigem]] 21:31, 1 April 2010 (UTC))


			As a teacher who has been working with digital natives since they were 12 years old, I do not feel that "digital natives" know more about computers than those of us born before 1980. A better name for this cohort might be "networked natives." It isn't the computer stuff that comes naturally, its the network and their own ability to contribute to it. Kids today sit as blankly as any elder technophobe in front of a new piece of software. Instead, it is the concept that they can connect to anyone they want, whenever they want and produce whatever they want to share and make those connections that they take for granted. Clay Shirky, in his talk at the Berkman Center, said "The moment the technology becomes boring the social effects get interesting."

			The remaining readings and video for this week illustrate the power of the prosumer (producer/consumer) and his/her ability to affect the world. The Chocolate Rain and All Your Base Are Belong to Us memes demonstrate the unpredictability of these effects. As Christian Lander says in his interview about the people he met at ROFLcon "Everyone at that conference who made it, none of them thought anything was going to happen from what they were doing. They were all like, 'I did it because it was fun for me.'" It was fun and easy to do. Anyone can make a video. Everyone has the potential to become Internet famous. Digital natives take that for granted. We are all just one blog post, one video, one song away from fame and fortune. If any "asshole with a blog," according to Lander, can make it big, then so can I. Maybe we are all just digital assholes...

			The power of the network, however, is not limited to the silly and strange, it also demonstrates power to make political and social change. Shirky describes several examples of "collective action" where group forming on the Internet led to new laws about how long airlines can keep passengers on the runway, and regime change in dictatorships. More recently, we have also seen these forces at work in the Iran Election, natural disasters (Tsunami) and terrorist attacks (Mumbai, India). The Scientology vs. Anonymous post shows the power of a group of otherwise powerless individuals to attack a large wealthy organization. Shirky points out that these tools are used differently when deployed in high vs low freedom environments. In the US we have Chocolate Rain, in Belarus they have Chocolate Ice cream.

			The network can also create virtual wealth, as demonstrated in the article "Real Money in a Virtual World." Players in Online world are buying and selling property and powers to take them to the next level. Hunter, an online player, believes "virtual economies will grow to the point where they will become a vital sector of the U.S. economy." It seems social tools are also used differently in capitalist vs communist societies.

			Finally, Benkler points out "...the emergence of widely accessible, self-conscious conversation about the meaning of contemporary culture by those who inhabit it." (p 295) Not only are we organizing collectively, but we are also analyzing and commenting on our collective experiences. When we search for Barbie, we don't only discover the Mattel doll, but also commentary on the doll's affect on society. The "Know Your Meme" videos examine the meme itself, its history and try to discern what it is that made these memes go viral. As we go from being consumers of media, to producers of media (prosumers), we also become meta-sumers (I just made this word up) of our Online experiences.

			Here are a few more resources on Digital Natives:
			[http://www.danah.org/papers/talks/PennState2009.html "Living and Learning with Social Media" a talk by Danah Boyd at Penn State on April 18, 2009]
			[http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change.pdf Pew Report on Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next]

			--[[User:Lizbdavis\|Lizbdavis]] 12:36, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

	== Class Discussion ==		== Class Discussion ==