In the past few weeks, I've had the pleasure of attending three Lee Rainie presentations. Two of them provided excellent insight into our students' interactions with technology.
At the 2007 Pennsylvania Library Association Annual Conference, Lee Rainie spoke about "Who and What Comes After the Millenials?" In short, "digital natives!" Do you know that when today's high school senior was born (1989), the personal computer was already 14 years old? These students have grown up along side of web browsing, IM, iPods, PDAs, Wikipedia, MySpace, FaceBook, Flickr, and YouTube.
Lee mentioned several hallmarks of the new digital ecosystem. Media and gadgets are everywhere. Most gadgets have multiple functions and can communicate with other gadgets using a variety of networks. Students are using them on the go to share photos, download videos, watch TV, browse the web, and communicate. Broadband internet access is becoming the norm rather than the exception. These students aren't passive consumers, either; increasing numbers are creating profiles on social networking sites, sharing photos, creating videos, and writing about their lives in public spaces. Almost 80% of 12-17 year olds have created some form of online content. (Interestly enough, most are creating content for a small group of friends - they are horrified by the thought that parents, teachers, or employers might be perusing!)
Some of the facts and statistics Lee shared made us question whether we were digital immigrants or digital dinosaurs. He comforted the more shell-shocked members of the audience by reassuring us that we still have the ability to reach students - even if we don't have the latest gadgets and technologies down pat. Email may be old school, but students are still willing to use it to communicate with us.
He also mentioned several ways that media and gadget use are having impact on student lives. First, today's students (8-18 yrs. old) are exposed to about 8 1/2 hours of media per day - but they process it in about 6 1/2 hours of time. Can you say multitasking? This leads to a related consequence; youth live in a state of "continuous partial attention." This phrase was coined by Linda Stone to explain stresses and distractions of a media- and gadget-rich life. Students' relationships with media and information are also changing. Media is becoming accessible anywhere, anytime, and through almost any imaginable device. Information takes on a social aspect - students deal with the vast quantity by filtered by their interests and those of their social groups. Rainie equated this with creating a "Daily Me" for news.
Is it any surprise that all of this media exposure and social networking is also changing the way that students learn? Today's students don't make as much of a distinction between education and entertainment. They expect education to be highly collaborative and experiencial - just like their media environments. Lastly, media and gadgets are changing students social interactions. Rather than interacting solely with a small local group, a student may participate in a number of fluidly shifting networked groups. The slides for this presentation will eventually be posted on the College and Research Division website, but for now, you can view them here: http://faculty.ycp.edu/~vkline/pala2007_rainie/millenials.pdf
Lee Rainie's opening keynote address at Internet Librarian 2007 addressed similar themes, but added an intriquing new conceptual framework - a typology of technology users. Age-based tags like "Boomer," "Gen X," or "Millenial" are useful for some very broad generalizations, but within in each group, individuals may approach technology very differently. Lee proposes a typology based on how individuals relate to the technology in their lives. It breaks down as follows: (%=percent of population)
HIGH USE
Group 1: Omnivores (8%) - These individuals love gadgets and use them constantly. They will be the first in line for any new technology. They are connected 24/7.
Group 2: Connectors (7%) - These individuals also love technology, but place highest value on the ability to connect with other people and share information.
Group 3: Lackluster Veterans (8%) - These folks use technology, but they've done it often and long enough that they begin to value time off line and unconnected. They may not be fond of cell phones.
Group 4: Productivity Enhancers (8%) - These people are positive about technology that helps them. You usually won't find them blogging.
MIDDLE
Group 1: Mobile Centric (10%) - These folks love their cell phones, but aren't heavy internet users.
Group 2: Connected, but Hassled (10%) - If someone is complaining about information overload, they might be in this category. They don't like the fact that people can find them all the time.
LOW USE
Group 1: Inexperienced Experimenters (8%) - These folks are late adapters, but open-minded about trying out something new.
Group 2: Light and Satisfied (15%) - This group doesn't mind technology, but it's not the center of their lives. You might have to remind them to check email once a week!
Group 3: Indifferent (11%) -These people are rarely online. May use a cell phone occasionally.
Group 4: Off the Network (15%) - These folks refuse to have anything to do with cell phones or the internet. What's wrong with pen and paper for messages?
Lee expressed surprise at finding such a large percentage of people in the low use category. If you'd like to find out which group you belong to, you can take a test here:
http://www.pewinternet.org/quiz/quiz.asp
He warned us that many people are annoyed by their classifications, so take this at your own risk!
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