Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott

Many believe that the Net Generation is the most selfish, self-absorbed and thoughtless generation ever.  Have the Boomers created a narcissistic generation of children that can’t function? Will their techie games like Facebook and Twitter ultimately dead-end like the pet rock?  Will having their lives and loves on the Net destroy their ability to function as adults?  Will they ever create anything of real value?

If the current avalanche of negative press can be believed, the Net Generation is hopeless.

Don Tapscott has a much different opinion.  He has been researching the effects of digital technology on individuals and society for over 15 years.  In his book Grown Up Digital, he finds this generation full of surprising talents and skills acquired from a deep association with the Internet, and an interestingly close relationship with their Boomer parents.  He also points out that they are the first ubiquitously connected generation. They often have friends around the world from an early age, and this provides them with truly unique learning experiences on both the technological and interpersonal levels.

Tapscott identifies 8 norms in this challenging generation. 

1. Freedom They prize freedom and choice for themselves and for others.  Indeed, their world is all about freedom of choice, and much of it is about the choice of creativity. 
2. Customization They want to customize things—everything—to make those things personal and original.  For them the question is, what will they personalize or change or create anew today.
3. Scrutiny They will scrutinize you and your organization.  Get ready.  The Net taught them the value of judicious choice and continuous judgment.  They do not turn off this scrutiny.  It is part of who they are and what they do in every moment.  They will forgive generously if you make a mistake and ‘fess up, but you will not pull the wool over their eyes.  If they suspect you are lying, they will Google your story into submission.  Moreover, they seem to find a way to do this without being pessimists; indeed as a group they are clearly optimists.
4. Integrity The near omniscient information and ubiquitous self-revelation of the Net has taught them that liars will be caught and that Integrity is critical. They have seen the scams and stupidity of the Net and have learned to insist upon Integrity in their work and relationships.
5. Collaboration Growing up on the Net with Boomer parents, the Net Gen are natural collaborators.  For them, being an individual and being connected and collaborating are all the same thing.  An infinite number of combinations both personal and factual are the norm, and to be expected. This means that for the very first time creativity is the Norm, not the exception. A hundred years from now this generation’s legacy is going to be very interesting.
6. Entertainment They want to engage and have fun at work and at school.  They use their ubiquitous connectivity in all parts of their life.  They pour themselves into life with a passion that is akin to the extreme sports that were born as they were.
7. Speed For the Net Gen, Speed is the Norm, and I will add my own corollary here: Slow is Wrong.  They are intent on LIVING, and they want that in capital letters. Get ready. The pace of their lives will increase as they rise through the ranks, and as their Generation comes to control more and more of the Gates of Life.
8. Innovation Daily innovation is part of their lives in a way that has never been seen before.  There have been those in every generation who were innovators, but this is a Global Generation of innovators closely connected to the collective information of our entire species.

So if this is the profile of the Net Gen, what shall we look for down the line? 

Here, like any good researcher, Tapscott leaves much open-ended, but it is clear that he is an optimistic advocate of this generation.  As a Boomer parent of two from the Net Gen and as an academic, he has been studying this unique generation for over 15 years. What is it that Don Tapscott sees?

Socially, he sees two fascinating effects.  First of all, this is the first Global Generation.  Spend a little time on the Net and you will see what he means.  The names you see there playing, writing and working are from every part of the globe.  Most of the Net Generation have friends they have never met. Oftentimes, close friends.   Secondly, this globally connected generation is very passionate about family.  We are seeing the rebirth of the extended family in a new and exciting format.

Professionally, Tapscott sees the Net Generation changing the nature of work.  They come to the work place with crucial tech skills and with these they are taken seriously early in their careers.  The Net Gen norms that Tapscott outlines will force a more flexible workplace.   What you can do and make happen will finally be more important than your degree, tenure or experience.  Moreover, look for change to be enacted at light speed.  The Net Gen is always on and in pursuit of change. You may be dismayed to find them playing at work, but look for the engaged Net Gen to be working when he is at play. For the Net Gen, seamless is good and life is well-lived at a blistering pace.

 What are my thoughts?  I am a Boomer who has hired and worked with a number of the Net Generation.  I think Tapscott is right, and more.  This generation is grounded in family and focused on the future.  I believe their skill at Net searching, collaborating and learning portends well for our world.  Contrary to popular opinion, I believe this is a generation that has learned how to learn. Further, this is a generation that does not acknowledge national or ethnic boundaries to knowledge or action.

We may not always like the way they go about it. They end run college busywork assignments.  They have no patience for the slow plodding approach.  They are better at tech out of the box than we will ever be. They expect to do meaningful work from their first day on the job. And truly, they do not fit in well with the traditional Sage on Stage model of college learning. As Davidson and Rees-Mogg predicted in the Sovereign Individual, I believe this generation will ultimately re-define the nation state, and strengthen the world. 

All in all, I find Tapscott’s presentation of the Net Gen in Grown Up Digital to be an inspiring account of what I am certain will be (with apologies to Tom Brokaw and his book) the greatest generation.

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Yup another commercial message. Below are links to two of Tapscotts great books. If you choose to click through from here and buy I will receive a tiny commission from Amazon.

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