What a useful term to describe how some of us feel about technological changes!  We all know friends and family who have emigrated and commented on the customs, accents and local insider knowledge of their new home that it takes them so long to get to know.  While they are learning, they feel a little lost, bewildered, on the outside and afraid that they might be missing out on something important because they are unaware of an essential piece of local knowledge that they didn’t even know they were supposed to have.  That is always the concerned of the immigrant; the outsider.

Digital Natives are people born inside of, or since the advent of the technological age.   It is a term coined by Marc Prensky in 2001 and refers loosely to people who are comfortable with technology because it has always been part of their world view.  Digital natives are people who will be comfortable with an online presence, virtual worlds and electronic proofs while a digital immigrant will still need a hard copy (something printed out).  I wrote about one of these digital natives who is my daughter, and how she automatically thinks in terms of technology even while she is learning what it is about.

But don’t think that this is just a generational distinction.  While that is the obvious dividing line, there are often younger people who struggle to grasp the social media paradigm just as there are some older folk to whom this suddenly makes entire sense.

Knowing these terms is useful because they give us a handle, a reference to hold onto.  When we are feeling bewildered in a strange country we know we feel that way because we are either visiting as tourists or because we have immigrated.  We don’t feel jealous or intimidated by the natives.  We turn to them as guides to assist us in settling in so that we feel more at home and enjoy our stay and want to return.   In the digital world, there are guides too – many people who are very willing to take the time to show you around and explain things, although most of them are younger than you.

Please remember though that even if you are turning to younger digital natives to assist you, in many cases you still need to be the adult and give them life guidance that they may require.  Do not let them intimidate you with technological savvy while you clearly outrank them in life experience.

And when it comes to using social media and technology for business, please turn to professionals for assistance.  There are many levels of knowledge and experience that people can have in an area, and just because someone else feels more at ease than you do with creating an online presence, does not mean that they are aware of all the business and security related issues that people who specialise in that area have experience in.

Just as in the same way a native often fails to be a tourist in his home town, so too does a digital native fail sometimes to slow down and pay attention to the small things that need explanation.