My interest was in his discussion of the Digital Immigrant accent:
As Digital Immigrants learn – like all immigrants, some better than others – to adapt to their environment, they always retain, to some degree, their "accent," that is, their foot in the past. The “digital immigrant accent” can be seen in such things as turning to the Internet for information second rather than first, or in reading the manual for a program rather than assuming that the program itself will teach us to use it. Today‟s older folk were "socialized" differently from their kids, and are now in the process of learning a new language. And a language learned later in life, scientists tell us, goes into a different part of the brain.I want to both accept and reject this idea at the same time. I've seen the phenomenon time and again. I know people who print email, ask if you got their email (umm, sometimes it *is* a valid question), wait until they see you in person to show you something that is online, and so on. However, I know many folks who fit into the immigrant group who do not do these things.
There are hundreds of examples of the digital immigrant accent. They include printing out your email (or having your secretary print it out for you – an even “thicker” accent); needing to print out a document written on the computer in order to edit it (rather than just editing on the screen); and bringing people physically into your office to see an interesting web site (rather than just sending them the URL). I‟m sure you can think of one or two examples of your own without much effort. My own favorite example is the “Did you get my email?” phone call. Those of us who are Digital Immigrants can, and should, laugh at ourselves and our “accent.”
I don't do these things, and at 38 I qualify as a digital immigrant. Prensky notes:
Today‟s students – K through college – represent the first generations to grow up with this new technology. They have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age.Indeed! I got my first digital music player around the time I got my first cell phone -- when I was working on my dissertation. I bought my first computer (a Mac IIVX) the year after I graduated from college. I headed off to college with a typewriter, and I used that for many of my papers. When I first learned about email in 1991 I didn't really see a purpose for it in my life because the only person I knew to email was the guy who sat next to me in my 3D graphics class and he liked to send me racy stories that he grabbed from somewhere online (I didn't understand now this whole thing worked).
However, in my 20s my technology use really took off. I may not take it for granted, but I think I use it more and better than my younger (much) siblings who are natives. I only print things that I need to access when not on my computer. My family gets updates about my daughter via flickr, Facebook, and a blog. Hopefully they use RSS feeds because I'm not about to send an email that says "new blog post." Etc. My husband and many friends are the same way.
Perhaps there's something between immigrant and native?
Anyway, I'm curious what the rest of you, some of whom are so-called immigrants and some of whom are so-called natives, think about digital immigrant accents.
I wonder if the analogy of cultures or generations might be more apt than an analogy of transient peoples?
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, the digitally proficient are often - but not always - younger; nearly always they come from a community of practice or subculture that has technology as a core experience.
So while I would have to reject the specific analogy of having a technology accent, I do appreciate the distinctions that were offered. Maybe it is more like a dialect?