KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN FACULTEIT LETTEREN

GENERATION
A generation of digital natives

Nina Verhasselt r0311385 Online Publishing Prof. Dr. F. Truyen & C. Stockman Master in Culturele Studies

2 Leuven, 2012-2013

Table of Contents
Introduction Generation Z: a generation of digital natives
Digital Natives: born in a digital network society Education in a society where information is everywhere Media consumption in a digital society p.3 p.4 p.5 p.6 p.7 p.9 p.10

Conclusion References

Introduction
When I searched the Internet for information about travel and tourism blogging, I stumbled upon the concept Generation Z. Intriged by this concept, I changed the topic of my paper. Where for older people it is often hard to catch up with all the new digital progress, children born nowadays grow up with the computer and all its possibilities. This generation believes that it is the same for Internet as it is for food, clean water, housing, education and access to medical facilities: without it, man can not function properly. Many names like iGeneration, Generation@, Net Generation1, Generation V (for Virtual), the Homeland Generation and the New Silent Generation2 describe the importance of networks and the Internet in their lifes. Born in the year 1990, I wonder whether or not me and my friends belong to this generation of digital natives. Just as television was the defining medium for the "baby boom" generation, the Internet will be ubiquitous for children born in the 1990's. However, the Internet's impact on "Generation I" will be far more dramatic -- it will change the way these children will learn, communicate and work.3 In this essay Ill try to make a correct outline about what Generation Z is, what challenges they face and how authors and researchers predict their future. Although all the information I used while writing this paper is reliable, its always wrong to generalize research findings for a whole group of people. Im aware that there are of course exceptions. Moreover, it has always been very delicate and difficult to define a generation, and to determine the exact start and ending of a certain tendency. Therefore we must take into account that not everybody whos born in this period matches the Generation Z profile.

Generation Z (2012). [27.12.2012, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z]. Pittman, E. James (2009). 21st Century Issues in Americ: An Introduction to Public Administration Theory and Practice, p.47. 3 The Challenge and Promise of "Generation I" (1999). [03.01.2013, Microsoft News Center: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/1999/10-28geni.aspx].
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Generation Z: a generation of digital natives

Generation Z is technology. They have been growing up on websites designed specifically for their consumption since before they could even speak. Generation Zers are also bred early to be social-media savvy by parents who witnessed social networking shift from embryonic and faulty, to stalwart and unavoidable. These parents are often co-curators in their children's online personas, monitoring their entry into the world of social networking sites. In short, from the very beginning, Generation Z-ers have grown up in a world that is all about connecting through technology.4 Born in the 90s up to the present day5, Generation Z are youngsters between 0 and 15 years old. They are highly connected by using communication and media technology like the World Wibe Web, instant messaging, text messaging, MP3 players and mobile phones.6 They study, work, write and interact with each other in ways that are very different from the ways previous generations did. They often meet online before they meet in person. They read blogs rather than newspapers, they get their music and movies (often illegally and free) online rather than buying it in a store. They are no longer confined to the home computer because they are increasingly connected to the Internet through mobile devices like smart phones and tablets. Kids of generation Z are connected to one another by a common culture: Major aspects of their lives social interactions, friendship, civic activities are mediated by digital technologies. And theyve never know any other way of life.7 They were born digital and dont remember a world in wich letters were handwritten and send by post, or were people met up at formal dances rather than on Facebook. (...) this new

Cross-Bystrom, Angela (20 augustus 2010). What you need to know about Generation Z. [27.12.2012, iMedia Connection: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/27425.asp]. 5 Although its hard to define the exact beginning and ending of a generation, we can all agree that this generation continues to the present. 6 Generation Z (2012). [27.12.2012, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z]. 7 Palfrey, John & Gasser, Urs (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives, p.2.
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5 generation didnt have to relearn anything to live lives of digital immersion. They learned in digital the first time around; they only know a world that is digital .8 Digital Natives: born in a digital network society The digital era has strikingly changed the way people live their lives and relate to one another and to the world around them. Since the 1980s we can distinguish several generations, who grew up in different periods of the digital revolution. People who were there at the start, can be called Digital Settlers. They grew up in an analog-only world and helped to shape the contours of the upcomming digital environment. These older people are online too, but they also continue to rely heavily on traditional, analog forms of interaction.9 Another group is the Digital Immigrants, they are less familiar with the digital technologies and learned how to use late in life. Unlike most Digital Immigrants, Digital Natives have lived much more of their lives online. In fact, they dont make a distinction between their digital identity and their real identity anymore. They have one hybride identity that is represented in two, three or even more different spaces. They are joined by a set of common practices, including the amount of time they spend using digital technologies, their tendency to multitask, their tendency to express themselves and relate to one another in ways mediated by digital technologies, and their pattern of using the technologies to access and use information and create new knowledge and art forms.10 Digital natives perceive new digital technologies such as computers and cell phones as primary mediators of human-to-human connections. Human relationships are transforming in fundamental ways because they have created a 24/7 network that blends the human with the technical to a degree we havent experienced before.11

Ibid., p.4. Palfrey, John & Gasser, Urs (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives, p.4. 10 Ibidem. 11 Ibid, p.4-5.
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6 Kids spending a lot of time interacting online instead of making real-life contact, isnt necessarily a bad thing. The pragmatism of their socialization is perhaps one of the most defining features of their generation. Thanks to Facebook, Skype, Facetime, etc., they are communicating in a "real" way with family members and friends across the country, or even around the world, without being in the same physical space. In fact, you could argue that the many ways that they are communicating -- with IM, constant updates, thousands of texts a month, etc. -- all add up to a continuous stream of real-time dialogue that also often includes actual visual interaction throughout.12 The relationships people had before the existance of social media, were much different than the long-distance relationships that exist for kids today. Thanks to technology people on the other side of the globe are only one mousclick away. Generation Z has begun to redefine "face-to-face" interaction, and they know how to maximize it, too. Due to the digital network society where these digital natives are born in, the rol of education isnt quite the same as it was several years ago. Education in a society where information is everywhere Today, education is inextricably linked with the Internet, students use technology to enroll in classes, conduct research, complete assignments, sign up for college and start a career. New teaching methods such as digital blackboards and e-books make their appearance in almost every school. Hence, its important for teachers to ensure that education keeps pace with technological advances. At the beginning of the new millennium, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Bill Gates outlined the unique challenges facing this generation: "The Internet will change education as fundamentally as it changed with printed books . () We have a responsibility to make sure every teacher is able to use this technology to help 'Generation I' learn."13 Gates puts forward that its important to use this technology to the fullest, because only then educators are able to create

Cross-Bystrom, Angela (20 augustus 2010). What you need to know about Generation Z. [27.12.2012, iMedia Connection: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/27425.asp]. 13 The Challenge and Promise of "Generation I" (1999). [03.01.2013, Microsoft News Center: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/1999/10-28geni.aspx].
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7 efficient, dynamic, accountable and individualized learning environments to meet the needs of all students.14 Using devices such as the PC, Web-enabled televisions and hand-held devices, Generation Z is able to access virtually any information they need at any time, in any place. Teachers will consequently have to compete with other online information sources and study buddies. Authors Boender and Ahlers say that teachers nowadays dont have automatically authority because of their function, they have to earn it. Only when a teacher knows how to inspire a class, hell get full attention and gain respect. Authority will become less dependent on knowledge and motivation, but more on inspiration and experience.15 Media consumption in a digital society We live in a time where theres a lot of free media available. The willingness to pay for news and other content is therefor decreasing. In the future news will be available eveywhere at al time: on screens thourgh the city and public transport, in free newspapers and magazines, and ofcourse online. This will be the places where people consume news. Boender and Ahlers even state that the next generation wont pay for news ever.16 We must destinguish glossies from this statement. These are much more about unique content, experience and inspiration. Glossy and other magazines will also increasingly continue in the integration between online and offline. The role of the television will also change for this next generation. Generation Z will still watch television, but not necesseraly on a telly. Even more than now, movies, series, soaps and documentaries will be available online before they appear on television. Within the thought that online will take over the roll of television, Pieter Paul Verheggen expects that Apple might create his own iTV.17

Ibidem. Doorenbos, Jan Willem (10 november 2011). Wie is Generatie Z en hoe bereik je ze?. [29.01.2012, Frankwatching: http://www.frankwatching.com/archive/2011/11/10/wie-is-generatie-z-en-hoe-bereikje-ze/]. 16 Ibidem. 17 Ibidem.
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8 Besides television programmes, also online movies will keep on gaining importance. Movie theaters will probably have a very rough time surviving. Already now there are less and less youngsters who go to the movies. Why pay, when you can get it for free? Nevertheless will new technologies such as 3D movies offer a solution for movie theaters to attract (a young) audience. It will be more and more important for different type of leisure activities to create a unique experience, where the consumer will still be prepared to pay for. When examining the coming of this new generation, one can wonder if marketing and communication strategies in the future thus only have to focus on online media? Beside this observation, brands and marketers need to recognize that the prospective consumers from generation Z have become experts in branding themselves. They understands the implications of tagging photos and detagging others, and that endorsing products with a simple "Like" button can bring either scrutiny or praise. Generation Z is a generation of self-branders.18

Cross-Bystrom, Angela (20 augustus 2010). What you need to know about Generation Z. [27.12.2012, iMedia Connection: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/27425.asp].
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Conclusion
Generation Z defines a group of youngsters born in a digital society. They do everything online: shopping, meeting and interacting with eachother via social media, watching movies, listening to music, write about their lives on blogs, etc. Eventhough the arrival of a digital environment has changed our ways of live drastically, nobody knows what the future will bring. Will we still meet new people in real life? Or will we only communicate through Skype, chat and FaceTime? Will we still go outside and leave our trusted and safe digital environment? Or will we be reading about the outside world on travel and tourism blogs? Mobility and travelling will possibly become more complex due to for instance economical or environemental reasons. Hence people in the future may become less attracted to travelling. At the same time generaton Z will go looking for experiences and encounters. I dont believe that face -to-face communication and interaction can ever disappear. People will always have the need to experience other cultures, people and places. When I see children of my scout group use mobile phones and mp3s at the age of 8, I wonder whether or not Im still a part of this Generation Z. Does the description of this generation apply on me even if I still listen to vinyl records, I dont have a smart phone and I still go to a video store to rent a DVD? Eventhough Im not a real digital native, the fact that I made this essay on my laptop by using online sources, reading ebooks and looking in digital journal archives, makes me feel quite involved afterall.

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References
ONLINE SOURCES: Cross-Bystrom, Angela (20 augustus 2010). What you need to know about Generation Z. [27.12.2012, iMedia Connection: http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/27425.asp]. Doorenbos, Jan Willem (10 november 2011). Wie is Generatie Z en hoe bereik je ze?. [29.01.2012, Frankwatching: http://www.frankwatching.com/archive/2011/11/10/wie-is-generatiez-en-hoe-bereik-je-ze/]. Generation Z (2012). [27.12.2012, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z]. Horovitz, Bruce (5 april 2012). After Gen X, Millennials, what should next generation be?. [04.01.2013, USA Today: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/advertising/story/2012-0503/naming-the-next-generation/54737518/1]. The Challenge and Promise of "Generation I" (1999). [03.01.2013, Microsoft News Center: http://www.microsoft.com/enus/news/features/1999/10-28geni.aspx]. BOOKS: Ahlers, Jos & Boender, C.W. Ren (2011). Generatie Z / druk 1: ken ze, begrijp ze en inspireer ze voor een beter leven. Bertram + De Leeuw Uitgevers.

11 McCrindle, Mark & Wolfinger, Emily (2009). The ABC of XYZ: Understanding the Global Generations. Sydney: University of New South Wales. Palfrey, John & Gasser, Urs (2008). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives. New York: Basic Books. Pittman, E. James (2009). 21st Century Issues in Americ: An Introduction to Public Administration Theory and Practice. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. Spangenberg, Frits & Lampert, Martijn (2011). De grenzeloze generatie en de onuitstaanbare opmars van de B.V. IK. Amsterdam: Nieuw Amsterdam. ARTICLES: Manovich, Lev (2009). The Practice Of Everyday (Media) Life: From Mass Consumption to Mass Cultural Production?. Critical Inquiry, vol.35 (nr.2), p.319-331. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/596645]