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A TCI Book Review
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Growing Up Digital
- The Rise of the Net Generation
Don Tapscott
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1998.
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In
this book, Don Tapscott introduces us to the concept of the ‘N-Generation’ - ‘N’
being short for ‘Net’ or ‘Internet’ which underscores the pervasive nature of
this technology to this age group. The N-Generation consists of those 88 million
individuals in North America who will be aged 2 to 22 in the year 1999. This
group is larger even than the famous baby boom generation, which comprises a
mere 29% of the population (compared to the N-Gen’s 30%). These people, Tapscott
says, are surrounded by digital media - they are "bathed in bits", and for the
most part are fluent with computers. Nearly two thirds of them have used
computers, either at home or at school.
‘Growing Up Digital’ is an exploration into the attitudes and behaviors of
this generation, particularly those related to the use of computers and the
Internet.
The book came together in an interesting way. An on-going internet forum
consisting of 300 persons aged 4 to 20, all of whom were internet active, was
assembled, and consulted periodically (by means of e-mail, of course) over the
course of a year. This was thus a kind of on-going focus group or Delphi
session. This group - the Growing Up Digital Kids - contributed to the creation
of www.growingupdigital.com, a web site companion to the book.
Thus, a warning. Many of the book’s conclusions purport to apply to all of
the N-Generation. However, insofar as they are based largely upon the responses
of a particularly internet-active, presumably articulate, and likely relatively
well off group of individuals, they probably represent a relatively biased
sample. On the other hand, these articulate, extremely computer literate
children and teens of today are likely representative of tomorrow’s managers and
opinion-leaders, and thus their attitudes and behaviors are of particular
interest.
Basically, Tapscott is sanguine about the prospects of the N-Generation. Far
from viewing them as nerds or geeks who are wasting their youth in front of a
computer screen playing interactive war games, he sees them as highly motivated,
socially conscious group, willing and able to change society for the better.
He postulates what he terms a ‘generation lap’ (not gap) to describe the gulf
between these Web-savvy kids and their far less literate baby boomer parents. He
says that there are four themes that describe this gulf:
- The older generations are uneasy about the new technology – which kids are
embracing. Some adults tend to view computers and digital technology askance,
associating it with automation, job downsizing, ‘big brother’ and the like.
- Older generations tend to be uneasy about the new media – which are coming
into the heart of youth culture. Some older generations focus on the 0.5
percent of material on the Web (according to Tapscott, although the figure is
unsubstantiated) that is violent, sexist, hate-oriented and the like as proof
that the Web is a negative and corrupting influence.
- Old media are uneasy about new media. Here he makes the point that the
traditional broadcast and print media is unable to control the new digital
media, and thus tends to reflect an attitude of negativism and uncertainty.
- The digital revolution, unlike previous ones, is not controlled only by
adults.
"A new youth culture is emerging, one which involves much more than just the
pop culture of music, MTV, and the movies. This is a new culture in the broadest
sense, defined as a the socially transmitted shared patterns of behavior,
customs, attitudes and tacit codes, beliefs and values, arts, knowledge, and
social forms. This new culture is rooted in the experience of being young and
also in being part of the biggest generation ever. But most importantly, it is a
culture that is stemming from the N-Gen use of interactive digital media. We
should pay attention because the culture which flows from their experiences in
cyberspace foreshadows the culture they will create as the leaders of tomorrow
in the workplace and society." (p.55)
Tapscott outlines ten themes that he feels characterize this emerging youth
culture:
- Fierce independence
- Emotional and intellectual openness
- Inclusion: "N-Geners are moving toward greater social inclusion with
technology, not exclusion. Their art and the international populations of
their virtual communities show a global orientation in their search for
information, activity and communication." (p.69)
- Free expression and strong views
- Innovation
- Preoccupation with maturity: "Overall, N-Geners resent the fact that their
ideas and activities are often suspect for the sole reason that they are
children." (p.71)
- Investigation
- Immediacy
- Sensitivity to (or suspicion of) corporate interest
- Authentication and trust: "Because of the anonymity, accessibility,
diversity, and ubiquity of the Net, children must continually authenticate
what they see or hear on the Web." (p.75)
Various chapters of the book outline how the N-Generation thinks and behaves
in various facets of life, including learning, recreation and play, shopping,
employment, and family life.
For example, with respect to education, Tapscott outlines eight shifts of
interactive learning (i.e. areas in which he sees changes in how the
N-Generation learns compared to how most Baby Boomers learned):
- From linear to hypermedia learning
- From instruction to construction and discovery
- From teacher-centered to learner-centered education
- From absorbing material to learning how to navigate and how to learn
- From school to lifelong learning
- From one-size-fits-all to customized learning
- From learning as torture to learning as fun
- From teacher as transmitter to teacher as facilitator
Turning to shopping and consumption, he outlines five themes that
characterize the N-Generation as consumers:
- N-Geners want options
- N-Geners want customization to their individual sizes, preferences and
needs
- They want to change their minds
- They try before they buy
- Technology doesn’t dazzle – function counts
With this in mind, he offers advice for purveyors of certain goods and
services, in terms of the nature of demand from this segment, as well as the
ways in which they should be marketed to N-Geners:
- Residential real estate – This won’t be a big growth area for at least a
couple of decades, when N-Geners have accumulated the purchasing power to buy
homes. Moreover, when they do, they will demand totally wired houses and
vacation properties.
- Commercial real estate – Tapscott doesn’t expect the N-Geners to be keen
on working in big glass towers in downtown locations. This generation will
naturally adapt to telecommuting and will be working out of their homes or in
local commercial ‘telework’ centres.
- Real estate redevelopment – Tapscott expects that a big growth industry
will be in the conversion of existing real estate developments to suit the
needs of N-Geners, including the conversion of office spaces into residential.
- Automobiles – "The biggest generation ever is approaching driving age.
They’ll want cars, initially inexpensive ones. A generation raised with
digital technology will want digital cars." (p. 204)
- Clothing – According to Tapscott, this is a generation with a strong sense
of style, but that they won’t necessarily be swayed by the messages of the
large brands. They will develop their own sense of what is stylish, sharing
information about where to get clothing (e.g. second-hand shops) over the Web.
- Financial services – N-Geners will want all their financial information
consolidated in one place for their inspection and management. They will want
to do all their dealings on the Net. "In the year 2005 there will be more than
10 million N-Geners over 20 years of age. Two-thirds of them will want to surf
to the bank. If you’re not a cyberbank, you won’t exist for them." (p.204)
- Recreation – Tapscott predicts, predictably, that there will be a growth
in Net-based entertainment. He also points out that increasingly members of
this generation will be reaching drinking age, and predicts a growth in
alcohol consumption.
- Education – N-Geners will find the concept of lifelong learning natural,
and will expect their employers to provide fulfilling opportunities in this
regard.
- Travel – N-Geners will not be enthusiastic about commuting. For
recreational travel, they will be used to making their own arrangements and
will expect to be able to do this.
- Music – N-Geners may not be into ‘collecting’ music by means of CDs, when
it will be available easily on the Net, any time, any place.
- Logistical services – N-Geners will expect more things to come to them,
rather than them moving to things (like work, shopping, etc.) This implies
growth in what Tapscott calls ‘logistical services’ such as FedEx, UPS and the
post office.
- Publications – While N-Geners will still read books on the beach, they
will get their news digitally, and will expect individually customized
electronic news and information delivery.
- New media – N-Geners will expect that entertainment and information
services will be delivered to them using the full range of capabilities
provided by the latest in multimedia.
- Consumer electronics – This generation can be expected to spend a higher
proportion of its disposable income on digital consumer electronics.
Regarding the N-Generation and business, Tapscott identifies ten themes and
attitudes that he says characterize the new types of businesses that N-Geners
will be involved with:
- Independence and the molecular enterprise: "N-Geners have high
independence and autonomy, growing from their experience as initiators of
communication and information handling activity. We can expect that rather
than being a cog in the wheel, the N-Gen worker will be comfortable working
more like a molecule. As I have previously argued, in a knowledge economy the
basic unit of wealth creation shifts from being the corporate hierarchy to the
networked individual – like a molecule." (p.211)
- Intellectual openness
- Collaboration
- Internetworking intellect for organizational consciousness: Here Tapscott
starts to sound like Arthur C. Clarke: "Perhaps internetworking can help
organizations achieve consciousness just like the neural networks in the human
brain enable a human to achieve consciousness. Will the N-Gen be the first
generation to create conscious organizations, and thereby organizations which
can learn?" (p.213) Hmmm…
- A culture of innovation
- Preoccupation with maturity
- Investigation
- Immediacy and the real time firm: "Another theme of the N-Gen world is
immediacy, appropriate for the enterprise of the future which is real-time
enterprise – continuously and immediately adjusting to changing customer
demands, supplier capabilities, and business conditions." (p.214)
- Corporate skepticism – N-Gen as capital: Tapscott’s point here is that N-Geners
have an attitude of suspicion and skepticism about big corporations that will
have to be overcome in order for the corporate world to effectively recruit
this new generation of knowledge workers. Insofar as companies can treat
people as capital (rather than a variable cost) they will be successful in
creating the corporate environment that is likely to attract such workers.
"Arguing that people should be given the high status of capital isn’t
dehumanizing people – it’s arguing that increasingly knowledge workers, not
money or physical plant, are the key to wealth creation and prosperity."
(p.215)
- A culture of trustworthiness and trust
Tapscott ends the book on a fairly utopian note:
"The latter half of the century was dominated by a generation. During that
period, strong models of mass media, the enterprise, work, commerce, family,
play, and social life were established. The new media and the new generation are
beginning to shatter those old ways – and our evidence points to a better world,
if we will it. This massive wave of youth has rights, growing aspirations, truly
awesome capabilities, and nascent demands which are far-reaching.
These young people will bring and implement radical views regarding how
business should be conducted and on the process of democratic governance. They
will be a generation which can learn, as a generation, unlike any other. They
will seek to protect the planet and I believe they will find racism, sexism and
other vile remnants of bygone days both weird and unacceptable. They will seek
to share in the wealth they create. They will want power in every domain of
economic and political life. The big remaining question for older generations is
whether we will share that power with gratitude or will the N-Gen be forced to
take it from us? Will we have the wisdom and courage to accept the N-Geners,
their culture and their media, and grant them the opportunity to fulfill their
destiny?
Listen to the children." (pp. 304, 305)
IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THIS REVIEW (I.E. DISAGREEMENTS, ADDITIONAL
PERSPECTIVES, ETC.) OR SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE BUSINESS BOOK REVIEWS, WE'D LIKE
TO HEAR FROM YOU! CONTACT US AT
jlinton@consulttci.com
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