Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World

Book description

SELECTED AS A 2008 BEST BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE ECONOMIST

The Net Generation Has Arrived.
Are you ready for it?

Chances are you know a person between the ages of 11 and 30. You've seen them doing five things at once: texting friends, downloading music, uploading videos, watching a movie on a two-inch screen, and doing who-knows-what on Facebook or MySpace. They're the first generation to have literally grown up digital--and they're part of a global cultural phenomenon that's here to stay.

The bottom line is this: If you understand the Net Generation, you will understand the future.

If you're a Baby Boomer or Gen-Xer: This is your field guide.

A fascinating inside look at the Net Generation, Grown Up Digital is inspired by a $4 million private research study. New York Times bestselling author Don Tapscott has surveyed more than 11,000 young people. Instead of a bunch of spoiled “screenagers” with short attention spans and zero social skills, he discovered a remarkably bright community which has developed revolutionary new ways of thinking, interacting, working, and socializing.

Grown Up Digital reveals:

  • How the brain of the Net Generation processes information
  • Seven ways to attract and engage young talent in the workforce
  • Seven guidelines for educators to tap the Net Gen potential
  • Parenting 2.0: There's no place like the new home
  • Citizen Net: How young people and the Internet are transforming democracy

Today's young people are using technology in ways you could never imagine. Instead of passively watching television, the “Net Geners” are actively participating in the distribution of entertainment and information. For the first time in history, youth are the authorities on something really important. And they're changing every aspect of our society-from the workplace to the marketplace, from the classroom to the living room, from the voting booth to the Oval Office.

The Digital Age is here. The Net Generation has arrived. Meet the future.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. grown up digital
  3. Copyright Page
  4. CONTENTS
  5. RESEARCH METHODS, TEAMS, AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    1. THE NET GENERATION: A STRATEGIC INVESTIGATION
      1. Research Methods
      2. Client Sponsors and Partners
      3. Client Collaborators
      4. The Program Management
      5. The Program Faculty
      6. The Program Team
    2. THE GROWN UP DIGITAL BOOK PROJECT
      1. Research Methods
      2. The Book Team
  6. Part One Meet the Net Gen
    1. INTRODUCTION
      1. THE FIRST GENERATION TO COME OF AGE IN THE DIGITAL AGE
      2. THE DARK SIDE
        1. WHAT IS THE TRUTH?
        2. THE NET GENERATION HAS ARRIVED
        3. CONQUERING FEAR WITH KNOWLEDGE
        4. LEARN FROM THEM AND ACT
    2. 1 THE NET GENERATION COMES OF AGE
      1. BOOM, BUST, ECHO
        1. The Baby Boom (1946—64)
        2. The Baby Boom Became the TV Generation
        3. Gen X—The Baby Bust (1965–76)
        4. The Echo of the Baby Boom—Net Generation, Gen Y, or Millennials (1977–97)
        5. Four Generations: From 1946 to Present*
      2. THE ECHO BECOMES THE NET GENERATION
        1. Technology Is Like the Air
        2. The Net Gen Media Diet
      3. THE FIRST GLOBAL GENERATION
        1. The Generation Lap Revisited
        2. Generational versus Life-Stage Differences
        3. The Smartest Generation
        4. A New Family Org Chart
        5. Generational Values
      4. THE EIGHT NET GENERATION NORMS
        1. Creating the Future
    3. 2 A GENERATION BATHED IN BITS
      1. THEY USE TECHNOLOGY DIFFERENTLY THAN BOOMERS
        1. TV—the New Background Muzak
        2. Natural Inquirers
        3. The New Content Creators
        4. The Small Screen Revolution: The Age of the Mobile Phone
      2. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL WITHOUT ACCESS TO COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY?
      3. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL WITHOUT ACCESS TO COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY?
        1. Phone or Digital Copilot?
        2. Mobile Phones Overtake PCs
      4. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING THEIR BEHAVIOR: A DAY IN THE LIFE
      5. THEY ARE CHANGING THE TECHNOLOGY: IT'S NOT YOUR DADDY'S INTERNET
        1. Social Networks: The Net Gen Version of a Global Community Center
        2. What They Mean: A Potent Organizing Tool for Communities
        3. People Can Self-Organize on the Internet Rather than Following the Leader
      6. THE PLAY'S THE THING: GAMES, MOVIES, AND CIVICS
        1. Gaming Together
        2. Music and Movies: The Online Audience Chooses the New Stars
        3. Film 2.0: The Audience Helps Create Them
        4. Self-Organization Hits the Streets
      7. HELLO OFFICER, PLEASE SMILE FOR THE CAMERA
      8. A NEW SOCIAL UTILITY
        1. The Hidden Side of Social Networks: Are You Sharing Too Much of Yourself?
      9. THE DARK SIDE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING: IS PRIVACY OVER?
        1. The Typical Net Gener Still Doesn't Get It
        2. But They May Be Sorry
        3. I Know What You're Buying
        4. New Privacy Controls: Different Categories of Friends
        5. But That Doesn't Solve the Problem
        6. Information about Me Is Mine
        7. A Broad-Based Invasion of Privacy
      10. CONCLUSION
    4. 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF A GENERATION THE EIGHT NET GEN NORMS
      1. FREEDOM
      2. CUSTOMIZATION
      3. SCRUTINY
      4. INTEGRITY
      5. COLLABORATION
      6. ENTERTAINMENT
      7. SPEED
      8. INNOVATION
    5. 4 THE NET GENERATION BRAIN
      1. THE BRAIN CAN CHANGE, EVEN AFTER CHILDHOOD
      2. THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN: A WORK IN PROGRESS
      3. DIGITAL IMMERSION: DOES IT AFFECT THE TEEN BRAIN?
        1. Gamers Notice More: They Process Visual Information More Quickly
        2. Gamers Develop Other Skills Too—Skills that Are Useful for Surgeons
        3. Gaming: A Lesson in Trial and Error
      4. INTERNET SCREEN TIME: DOES IT AFFECT THE WAY NET GENERS ABSORB INFORMATION?
        1. Net Geners Don't Always Start at the Beginning
        2. Net Geners Look at It Differently
        3. Visual Experts
      5. MULTITASKING: ARE NET GENERS BETTER AT SWITCHING ATTENTION?
        1. They May Be Faster Switchers, but Can They Think?
        2. A Critique from the House of Lords
      6. TECHNOLOGY AND THINKING
        1. You Need Those Key Mental Skills to Read and Search
        2. Making Sense of the Mass of Information
        3. Scanning Helps
        4. A New Form of Intelligence: "Distributed Cognition"
        5. Does the Internet Squelch Creativity?
        6. Is Memory Fading?
        7. Focus Is Important
        8. Mental Breaks Are Important, Too
      7. CONCLUSION: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
      8. SEVEN GUIDELINES FOR A SHARPER MIND
  7. Part Two Transforming Institutions
    1. 5 RETHINKING EDUCATION THE NET GENERATION AS LEARNERS
      1. TWO GENERATIONS: ONE THRIVING, ONE FAILING
        1. They're Not Buying the Old Broadcast Learning Product
      2. THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND DIGITAL AGE REQUIRE NEW ABILITIES
      3. OLD PARADIGMS ARE HARD TO CHANGE
      4. WHAT WORKS? FOCUS ON THE STUDENT, NOT THE TEACHER
      5. FROM BROADCAST TO INTERACTIVE LEARNING
      6. FROM INSTRUCTION TO DISCOVERY
      7. FROM INDIVIDUAL TO COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
      8. FROM ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL TO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ONE
      9. NOW THAT COMPUTERS ARE IN SOME SCHOOLS, HOW'S IT WORKING OUT?
      10. THE 2.0 SCHOOL
      11. THE SCHOOL 2.0—SEVEN TIPS FOR EDUCATORS
    2. 6 RETHINKING TALENT AND MANAGEMENT THE NET GENERATION IN THE WORKFORCE
      1. YOUNG RETAILERS MAKE THE "BEST BUY" FOR THEIR FUTURE
        1. The Entitlement Generation?
        2. The Clash of Generations: An Irresistible Force Meets an Immovable Object
      2. THE WAR FOR TALENT
        1. New Models of High-Performance Work
      3. NET GENERATION NORMS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF WORK
        1. Freedom
          1. The Freedom to Work When and Where You Want
          2. The Freedom to Enjoy Work and Family Life
          3. The Freedom to Try New Jobs
        2. Customization
          1. My Job, My Life
        3. Scrutiny
          1. I Know What You Did Last Night
        4. Integrity
          1. Be a Good Company to Work For
        5. Collaboration
          1. Teamwork Is Not Just Motherhood
      4. A NET GENER'S IDEAL WORK SPACE
      5. A NET GENER'S PERFECT WORK SPACE
        1. Entertainment
          1. Work Should Be Fun
        2. Speed
          1. Let's Make Things Happen, Now
        3. Innovation: Let Me Invent
        4. But Can They Deliver?
        5. Will the Job Hoppers Set Out on Their Own?
      6. TALENT 2.0: RETHINKING TALENT MANAGEMENT FOR A NEW GENERATION
      7. DON'T RECRUIT: INITIATE RELATIONSHIPS
      8. DON'T JUST TRAIN: ENGAGE
      9. DON'T JUST SUPERVISE—BUILD NEXT GENERATION COLLABORATIVE WORK SYSTEMS
      10. DON'T JUST RETAIN: EVOLVE THE RELATIONSHIP
      11. CONCLUSION
      12. TALENT 2.0: SEVEN GUIDELINES FOR MANAGERS
    3. 7 N-FLUENCE NETWORKS AND THE PROSUMER REVOLUTION THE NET GENERATION AS CONSUMERS
      1. THE NEW GENERATION OF CONSUMERS HAS MONEY, AND UNPRECEDENTED INFLUENCE
      2. THE EIGHT NORMS: HOW THEY GUIDE NET GENERS WHEN THEY GO SHOPPING
        1. Freedom: Give Me Choice and the More the Better
        2. Customization: Make It My Own
        3. Scrutiny: I Will Check It Out Before I Go to the Store
        4. Integrity: Does This Company Deserve My Money?
        5. Collaboration: Let Me Help You Make Your Product or Service Better
        6. Entertainment: Make It Fun
        7. Speed: Serve Me Now
        8. Innovation: Give Me the Latest
      3. THE RISE OF N-FLUENCE NETWORKS
        1. Power to the People: Friends Are More Important than Movie Reviewers
        2. Not All Influencers Are Created Equal
      4. TYPES OF N-FLUENCE NETWORKS
        1. Best Friends
        2. My Social Network
        3. The World
        4. How Marketers Are Trying to Penetrate N-Fluence Networks
        5. Treating Customers as You Would a Friend
        6. Giving Net Gen Consumers a Say in the Message
        7. Finding People Who Really Care to Spread the Message
        8. Letting Go
      5. TURNING CONSUMERS INTO PROSUMERS
        1. Prosumers Get Busy
      6. THE NET GENERATION AND MARKETING 2.0: FROM FOUR PS TO THE ABCDE OF MARKETING
        1. From Products to Experience
        2. Price Is Negotiable: From Price to the Discovery of Price
        3. From Place to Anyplace
        4. Good-bye Traditional Advertising and PR: From Promotion to Communication
        5. The New Brand
      7. CONSUMERS 2.0: SEVEN GUIDELINES FOR MARKETING PROFESSIONALS
    4. 8 NO PLACE LIKE THE NEW HOME THE NET GENERATION AND THE FAMILY
      1. THE FREEDOM FLIP
        1. Boomer Youth Found Freedom Outside; Net Geners Find Freedom Inside
        2. For Boomers, Indoors You Were Controlled; Outdoors You Were Free
        3. For Net Geners, Freedom Outside Was Canceled
        4. Net Geners Found Freedom Indoors—Online
        5. Net Geners Shake Up the Old Hierarchy
      2. FAMILY TIES: THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE THE NEW HOME
      3. HELICOPTER PARENTS ARE HOVERING
      4. BULLYING, PORNOGRAPHY, AND PREDATORS
        1. Bullies Find a Huge Audience Online
        2. A Father and Son Talk About Pornography
        3. The Big Fear: The Online Sexual Predator
      5. WHAT WILL NET GENERS DO AS PARENTS?
        1. They Will Value Family Time
        2. They'll Connect, Search for Information Online
        3. Screen Time for Babies?
        4. The Open Family
      6. SEVEN PARENTING GUIDELINES FROM THE KIDS WHO HAVE GROWN UP DIGITAL
  8. Part Three Transforming Society
    1. 9 OBAMA, SOCIAL NETWORKS, AND CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT THE NET GENERATION AND DEMOCRACY
      1. THEY'RE NOT THE ME GENERATION: THEY CARE
      2. TRADITIONAL POLITICS ARE A TURNOFF
      3. A GENERATION MOVES FROM CIVIC ACTION TO POLITICAL ACTION
      4. NET GENERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE DEMOCRATS
      5. UNLEASHING THE GENIE: HOW BARACK OBAMA USED SOCIAL NETWORKING TO ENGAGE A GENERATION
        1. A Candidate—and a Campaign—That Echoed the Net Gen Norms
      6. NOW THEY WANT A SAY IN GOVERNMENT—OR THEY COULD TAKE IT TO THE STREETS
      7. DEMOCRACY 2.0: FROM BROADCAST TO INTERACTIVE
        1. The Digital Brainstorm
        2. Habitat Jam—the New Marketplace of Ideas
        3. A Wealth of New Approaches
      8. BUILDING TRUST WITH A NEW GENERATION
      9. DEMOCRACY 2.0: SEVEN GUIDELINES FOR GOVERNMENT LEADERS
    2. 10 MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE—AT GROUND LEVEL
      1. THE NET GENERATION IS INHERITING A MESS
      2. THE LIFE OF AN ACTIVIST BEFORE THE INTERNET
      3. STAYING IN TOUCH WITH YOUR FRIENDS TAKES ON A NEW MEANING
      4. THE GOOD CITIZENS
      5. TAKING IT GLOBAL
        1. Saving Planet Earth—Literally
      6. HOW ACTIVISTS ARE TAPPING INTO NET GEN NORMS
      7. SEVEN WAYS TO GET NET GENERS TO VOLUNTEER AND WORK EFFECTIVELY FOR YOUR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION
    3. 11 IN DEFENSE OF THE FUTURE
      1. THE DARK SIDE REVISITED
        1. The Dumbest Generation?
        2. Screen Addicted? Losing Social Skills?
        3. Are They Giving Up Their Privacy?
        4. Are They Coddled? Do They Lack Independence?
        5. Does the Internet Encourage Youth to Steal? Are They Cheaters?
        6. Does It Encourage Bullying?
        7. Does It Incite Youth Violence?
        8. Does the Net Gen Have a Misguided Sense of Entitlement and a Bad Work Ethic?
        9. Are They Narcissistic?
        10. What About Their Values? Do They Just Want to Be Rich and Famous?
      2. FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN
      3. A FORCE FOR CHANGE IN EVERY INSTITUTION
      4. WILL WE LET THIS GENERATION RESHAPE THE WORLD?
      5. LEADERSHIP 2.0: SEVEN GUIDELINES FOR A NEW GENERATION
  9. APPENDIX
  10. NOTES
    1. INTRODUCTION
    2. CHAPTER 1
    3. CHAPTER 2
    4. CHAPTER 3
    5. CHAPTER 4
    6. CHAPTER 5
    7. CHAPTER 6
    8. CHAPTER 7
    9. CHAPTER 8
    10. CHAPTER 9
    11. CHAPTER 10
    12. CHAPTER 11
  11. BIBLIOGRAPHY
  12. INDEX

Product information

  • Title: Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World
  • Author(s): Don Tapscott
  • Release date: November 2008
  • Publisher(s): McGraw-Hill
  • ISBN: 9780071641555