Mom, don’t bother me. I’m learning

“Mom, don’t bother me. I’m learning” (Don’t bother my mom – I’m learning). This is the striking title of the latest book by Marc Prensky, a renowned expert in education and learning. It talks for the first time about digital natives, the generation born from the 80s, who have grown up with the Internet and digital devices always by their side. Unlike their parents, digital natives are able to learn by playing, enjoy new tools and can process large amounts of information at high speed.

With the birth of this new generation, their parents and grandparents have become true digital immigrants who try to adapt as best they can to the conditions of the new Age of Collaboration. As Prensky points out, the cognitive difference between “immigrants” and “natives” is so great that a father or mother who tried to teach their child to use a digital device would only delay their learning for several months. Hence the title of his book. Digital natives bring a new talent and a new way of being, and they are clear that, to the extent that they share their creativity with millions of people, they can give rise to knowledge that was hitherto unattainable by previous civilizations.

They have grown up with tools such as YouTube, Wikipedia, SMS, iPod, blogs, or the Play Station. And they are prepared to absorb the technologies that will stand out in the future, because it is not a problem for them to adapt to new channels and communication tools.

The key is very simple: unlike their parents, who are incapable of conceiving knowledge without sacrifice, digital natives learn by playing. They have fun learning and innovating, and they take a much more active role in creating, editing, and sharing content. In other words: they are creative and like to innovate and collaborate.

This new talent is capable of navigating at digital speed, they are natural “surfers”, they are lovers of the freedom and entertainment that the network provides them to organize their lives, and they learn and innovate by collaborating with others and playing.

Digital natives in the market

One of the main characteristics that define digital natives is that they are no longer limited to fulfilling the traditional role of consumers. Now, they are “prosumers”, that is, producers and consumers at the same time. One of the clearest examples is that of Wikipedia, the digital encyclopedia in which users can find the information they are looking for. What is relevant is not that Wikipedia is a source of knowledge, but that it only exists as such thanks to the collaboration of users. They create the product – the entries, articles, images and definitions – and then consume it. Another differentiating feature of digital natives is that they look for products that can truly adapt to their specific tastes and needs. They always want options. They are not willing to accept an imposition of any kind. And that is why they demand the possibility of customizing products to make them more their own, more similar to themselves. Compared to digital immigrants, who seek advice from the people physically around them, the new generation maintains interactive relationships. Before buying a product, they can consult a person located thousands of miles away and whom they have never seen, but who has proven their reliability in the network structure. Finally, digital natives apply the maxim that governs Google’s email: search, not order. They are able to process more information in a week than many digital immigrants in their entire lives. And the key to achieving this is that they do not try to store all the data in their heads. They are simply able to locate it and use it to their advantage at the moment they need it. Why waste time memorizing information that will surely be obsolete tomorrow if I can look it up and find it updated the moment I need it? This is what they seem to think. And Google has been able to interpret it.

Digital natives at work

This new way of being is also reflected in the work environment. Digital natives present, of course, a new conception of authority. Faced with the traditionally accepted weight of hierarchy and the irrevocable – and sometimes arbitrary – decisions adopted by managers, this new generation seeks integrity, recognition and reciprocity in labor relations. Their strength, in addition to the powerful creative talent they are able to deploy when motivated, is their degree of mobility. Not surprisingly, the United States Department of Labor estimates that by the time they turn 38, a digital native will have changed jobs on average between 10 and 14 times. For this reason, one of the main challenges that companies must face is attracting and retaining digital talent. To achieve this, they will have to substantially modify the structure of organizations, making them more flexible, open and transparent. The ultimate goal is to get those new employees to have fun doing their job. That will be the only way to have their essential innovative and creative talent.