No Such Thing as a Digital Native

So lurking about and commenting here and there on this whole "Digital Native/Digital Immigrant" issue has had me thinking a lot about these two terms.  And the more I have reflected on it, the more strongly I feel about the conclusion I have reached.  I find the terms very offensive.  Their definitions and delineations are arbitrary.  The terms suggest a very hard division of knowledge and skills across generations.  And, most importantly, they paint a very inaccurate picture.Let me tell you something that people who embrace the idea of "digital natives" are missing.  Babies are not born with WiFi.  They are not even Bluetooth-enabled.  They are blank slates, cognitively speaking, that will have to learn how to use Web 2.0 just like the misnamed "digital immigrants."  Will they have certain advantages in learning the digital language at younger ages?  Certainly.  But they still have to learn it.  My 8 year-old figured out how to download apps and play movies on mobile devices long ago because he wants to play digital games and be entertained constantly.  He still has no idea how to Tweet, blog, or post to Facebook.  He will learn it in time--if the technology does not become obsolete as new ones emerge--but he does not know it now because he has no need to know it.  Additionally, as an educator I see too many young adults, who should be "digital natives," struggle with technology as simple as email.

On another level, I find the terms objectionable because it was "immigrants" who started the digital revolution.  I remember the world before PCs in every home, cell phones were nonexistent, and the Internet was a speck on the horizon.  As the wave of digital revolution exploded, my generation rode along with the technological currents.  We navigated the uncharted waters of this brave new world and worked to build it into what it is today.  If you want to label me and others of the generations that preceded the digital revolution anything, call us "digital pioneers."  It is infinitely more accurate, and much more respectful.