Growing Up Digital - The Rise of the Net Generation

by Don Tapscott

Tapscott, who coined the term "Net Generation," profiles this new group and tells how its use of digital technology is reshaping the way society and individuals interact. 15 illustrations. 256 pp. $75,000 marketing. 100,000 print. (Business)

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology, Internet, Education, Economics, Sociology, Business

Library Binding

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Don is one of the world’s leading authorities on innovation, media, and the economic and social impact of technology and advises business and government leaders around the world.

In 2011 Don was named one of the world's most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50. He has authored or co-authored 14 widely read books including the 1992 best seller Paradigm Shift. His 1995 hit Digital Economychanged thinking around the world about the transformational nature of the Internet and two years later he defined the Net Generation and the “digital divide” in Growing Up Digital.

His 2000 work, Digital Capital, introduced seminal ideas like “the business web” and was described by BusinessWeek as “pure enlightenment." Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything was the best selling management book in 2007 and translated into over 25 languages.

The Economist called his newest work Macrowikinomics: New Solutions for a Connected Planet a “Schumpeter-ian story of creative destruction” and the Huffington Post said the book is “nothing less than a game plan to fix a broken world.”

Over 30 years he has introduced many ground-breaking concepts that are part of contemporary understanding. His work continues as a the Chairman of Moxie Insight, a member of World Economic Forum, Adjunct Professor of Management for the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and Martin Prosperity Institute Fellow.

Reviews

[Rhiannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for an annotated bibliography I'm doing on integrating new technologies into youth services librarianship. His basic message kind of comes across as, "the internet is creating a new generation who will be completely post-racial, post-capitalist, and post-hate in general. Behold, they shall lead us into a new utopia, just as soon as those nasty Baby Boomers are out of the way." I know that's probably not what Tapscott intends, but that is how it feels, and he's a little too sunshine-and-lollipops for me. I don't think he took a wide enough survey of kids activities on the internet (most of his sample comes from one highly moderated site for preteens) and I think that kept him from seeing that the same ugliness gets perpetuated on the internet as can be found everywhere else.

That said, there was some good stuff here, too, on the new developing mindset of people who have grown up using computers - which was my purpose in reading the book in the first place.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who are they this next net generation? According to Don Tapscott they are smarter, more efficient, more productive and confident than their parents. And all of it thanks to the new technology, the Internet and social networking. It does not matter that they don't read books, or don't know where Uganda on the map is, they don't worry because everything is on the Interent now, one-click away. It is better to keep your memory free, who needs to memorise poetry or God forbid some facts, books take so much time to finish and lectures are boring. But regardless, the author says, their IQ is rising and their talents lay in their multitasking, collaboration and ease with the new technology. Definitely there is a lot of truth in it, but this book is a very one sided story. What is it about cyberbullying, Internet addiction, loss of culture and many other important issues that we can not sweep under the carpet? This book makes you think.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read about about the sociological impact of technology of such vintage that still seems so prescient, considered, and relevant. Built around interaction with actual 11 - 15 year-olds (mostly), there is a lot of first-hand "N-gen" experience here, as the author labels the generation born and growing up digital. Admittedly as a non-parent much of this is not targeted at me directly, but I find the many situations presented and observations made entertaining and even enlightening. For me, judging such a book come inevitably from grading its predictions. This one has a good list toward the end of Chapter 9:


Real Estate: I find much of this book's insight demographic, centered around the bump up in youth numbers in the Baby Boom Echo. Still, these N-Geners I find want mobility not ownership and needing "wired" homes, etc.? Well, the author missed the wireless transformation...
"telework centers": I wish...
Community gardens and whatnot ...I see that. Missed the whole Whole Foods thing where this gets sold back to the N-Geners
"They'll want the car to be a place for entertainment" Yup.
"Clothing. This is a generation with a strong sense of style." I see that.
"cyberbank" Check.
"N-Geners love to play" They sure do!
"Education... delivered to them on the Net" Yes
..and more accuracy, like the growth in UPS etc. for Net-ordered goods. Totally missed all that pirated digital media, though...


In this postTo Catch a Predator times it really seems the dark corners of the Net are downplayed: "pornographic images represent less than one half of one percent of images on the Net." More recent data suggests that "30 percent of Internet content is porn" and that "90 percent of boys and 60 percent of girls are exposed to Internet porn by age 18."

The author does warn about "dataveillance" with foresight and accuracy in regarding the privacy debates and commodification of identity that happens today.

As a footnote, the author recommends Virtuous Reality.

[CTEP]

I read Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation by Don Tapscott. This book discusses the characteristics of the N-Geners (those who grew up and are growing up with the Internet being commonplace). It contrasts this generation with the last, discussing the differences in education, communication, social interaction, psychological effects, political voice, workplace, etc. of the two with the introduction of the Internet. N-Geners learn, work, play and consume much differently than the preceding generations. N-Geners will drastically change the world as it was known 10 years ago and as we know it today. This book instructs us on how to respond and what to expect with N-Geners, as well as giving me a better understanding of the effects Internet had on my upbringing. How does this relate to your year with AmeriCorps? This book relates to my service position because I am working with a lot of N-Geners, and the second half of my childhood was enjoyed at the beginning of the Net Generation. It also gave me a better idea of those outside this generation who were older at when Internet came out and their reaction to it and why they are or are not embracing this change. It was especially helpful to me in working with our elderly residents! Would you recommend it? I would recommend it. It was very interesting! The statistics in the book I read were already outdated, so I’d recommend finding the newest edition (I believe 2008). Read more here: http://dontapscott.com/

[Delia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this at JFK airport in New York waiting for a flight and didn't put it down til it was finished. Written by a guy in his fifties enjoying the world his children inhabit. It gave me an insight into the differences between those of us who were brought up pre- computers to the generation born 1980 and after.
I passed this book onto a lady in on my course back when it was published in 2008/9. This lady had previous had dial up internet that often didn't work and I had to post the course booking forms and she signed up by cheque. After reading this book she got broadband, a blackberry and I was getting instant email replies from her with much glee.
What I'm trying to say is this book is a game changer/ gives the broad perspective on the net.

[Kathy]

a description of the 'net generation'

what struck me most was the interactivity that most recent technologies employ in response to the net generation... and the fact these young ones can use so many technologies, but are technologically illiterate as they do not know how they function... they just use them...

[Boyd · Rating 1 out of 5]

On my initial read years ago I thought Tapscott made some good points but I thought it was poorly written due to level of repetiton... then. And now, I wanted to reread to refresh my memory of his prognostications and current commentary on net gens in workforce. Still a hard read and Tapscott was way too complimentary on affect of digital age

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good summary of what is going on? The book mostly summarized what I already know. But it put it all together in a coherent form. And that is helpful. Sometimes the author is a little too optimistic. But with as much negativity that is going on in the world it was nice to read something that was a little too optimistic.

[Andre · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was prolly a rocking book in the late 1990s or 2000. He brings up some great points, but I just couldn't power through it, too much has changed technologically.

If he were to update it I would read it in a second though...

[Tiffany]

Free to good home. Very interesting read.

[Gail Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

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