Grown Up Digital – Part 3

I really enjoyed Tapscott’s Grown Up Digital.  Throughout the book, there is a lot of  discussions about the Net Generation.  Tapscott counters every negative issue discussed and almost glorifies our generation as the light of the bright future.  Tapscott supports our generation and thinks that we are more technologically advanced than other generations.  There is no arguing that this is true.  We are technologically savvy because that’s what we have grown up with.

One criticism I think was a little harsh is the idea that our generation does not read books as much as other generations.  I think that our generation does read a lot, I personally love reading books and know many others my age that do as well.  I think that the huge success of Harry Potter, Twilight and Hunger Games shows that our generation does take part in reading for pleasure.  The huge sale of eReaders is a great example of how technology is expanding our intelligence.  One thing I do agree with however is that technology has provided us with many other distractions like TV, texting, and facebook that may take away from other intellectual activities.

Finally I think that one of the most important points Tapscott makes in part three is the idea of our generation and our future employers.  Tapscott states that our future employers can,

“refuse to adapt to the Net Gen, stick to their old hierarchies, and reinforce the generational firewall that separates the managers from the newly hired minions. But if they do…they will forfeit the chance to learn from the Net Gen- to absorb both their mindset and their tools of collaboration” (Tapscott 150).

I really appreciate Tapscott’s opinion.  I think that many corporations are stuck in their ways and if they adapted to the technology and our generation’s knowledge of it, many companies would be better off.  I am in no way saying that technology is the best route.  There are many traditions that I value that our generation struggles with.  For example, networking.  I think that technology offers great new ways to network, however sometimes nothing makes a better impression than a face to face meeting.  I think that our society needs to find that balance between relying on technology, but also on our old traditional instincts

Non Profit Organization Assignment

The Non Profit Organization my group chose was Greenpeace.  I started following them on facebook and twitter (the international page, there are many pages for different countries as well).  I also visited their website to see if they had any links to other sites.  I was surprised to find that Greenpeace uses facebook, twitter, flickr, youtube, blogs, and google +.  while looking at all these different sites, I noticed that Greenpeace likes to take advantage of the use of images.  Nearly every post on facebook is accompanied with a picture as well as their website.

When to comes to the argument over whether “slackivism” is real activism, I agree with Mirani.  I think that social networking sites are helpful in spreading the word to thousands of people who might not visit the website or see a flyer or commercial.  However I think that if people are interested enough in a cause they are going to make a change and help regardless of how social media is involved.  I do think that social media helps reach more people.  Even though someone might just “like” a page, at least it is getting them involved in a small way, which to me is better than nothing.  This became more apparent to me after following Greenpeace.  I noticed that a lot of the comments and “re-tweets” were not just saying “good job” but they are sparking discussions and asking ways to get involved.

As far as other Non Profit Organizations for the project, I found a few that have similar aspirations as Greenpeace, which include:

• Earth Justice
• American Rivers
• Environmental Defense Fund
• Keep America Beautiful
• National Parks Foundation
• Wildlife Conservation Society

Grown Up Digital – Part 2

One of the most interesting parts in the second section of Tapscott’s book was the topic of how parents (“Boomers”) are interacting with their Net Generation children. As a Net Gener myself, I without a doubt could relate to many points brought up during this discussion. However, there was one topic that was brought up in this section that I don’t necessarily agree with.  This topic is the idea that parents are more protective and controlling than ever before in history.

Tapscott argues that net generation children are closer to their parents regardless of the strictness because of the freedom the internet has provided. From personal experience, I do not agree with this, granted my situation may not be the same as others of my generation.  I am extremely close to my family, and I think the internet allows us to be closer, especially by allowing us to connect from different states.  However, I feel that my parents are far more lenient than my grandparents are, mainly because I think that they have adjusted to the net gener’s lifestyle themselves, allowing them to connect with me on another level.

Grown Up Digital – Part 1

The section of part 1 was the chapter that discusses the 8 characteristics net gen norms.  Tapscott believes that there are 8 characters including, Freedom, Customization, Scrutiny, Integrity, Collaboration, Entertainment, Speed, and Innovation.  Of these characteristics the two that I found most interesting are Entertainment and Scrutiny.  What I took away from the Entrainment is the idea that today’s generation has blurred the lines between work and play.  We like to get enjoyment and entertainment from every aspects of our lives.  The following quote from Tapscott is great support for this idea.

“Having fun while using a product is just as important as the product doing what it is suppose to do” (Tapscott, 93).

Today we want to be entertained.  My phone is not just a phone. I can play games, watch videos, surf the internet and listen to music all while making a phone call.  Tapscott also talks about how businesses are understanding this aspect of our generation.  For instance Tapscott uses google as an example.

“Over at Google, there’s a rock-climbing wall…along with a company pool, a volleyball pit, a gym, plus pool tables” (Tapscott 91-92).

This was very interesting to me because it bring up the debate about our generation mixing work and play.  Some companies, like Google, are embracing this and believe that it will help enhance their employee’s creativity.  Others think that taking a simple break to check your facebook or play a game online is inappropriate work behavior.  This got me thinking, why is our generation seen in a negative light, but previous generatation have done similar things.  People always step out for smoke breaks or walk down to the water cooler and socialize with other employees.  I am interested to see what the class has to say about this debate.

Baron – Chapters 7-12

During this reading I remember a specific point brought up in Chapter 8.  The question was whether or not communication through technology is weakening our day to day, face to face, conversations and interactions. Although I agree that our current technology has helped us interact on a new scale, I disagree with Baron that our technology has not deteriorated our social interaction in reality. I believe that we now rely on technology to heavily for conversations.  I know plenty of people, including myself, that hate confrontation. Based on personal experiences, I have noticed that instead of dealing with important issues in person, many people are now hiding behind technology to do so.

Overall I think that technology has taken away our confidence when interacting with others face to face, especially when dealing with people we don’t know.  This seems the most apparent with business interactions.  I think technology on some levels has allowed networking to become easier for us, it has also taken away the vital role of face to face interaction.