W8. Task 1. What general attitudes have been based on Digital Immgration?

In terms of general attitudes based on the idea of digital immigration, to me it seems as if digital natives only know the digital generation and are only able to conduct their lives online and offline, in that the offline is merged with the online seamlessly and there is no distinction between to two. They are equally as comfortable when offline as when online.

Conversely, a digital immigrant is very aware when they are online that this is separate to offline activities. For example, a digital native might not think twice about conducting their lives on a multiplicity of different formats, arranging an outing on facebook, e-mailing a tutor about not understanding something, texting someone to tell them you’re going to be late. Conversely, a digital immigrant might find conducting their lives in such a way to be completely foreign, preferring a more streamlined existence, using the telephone, looking up a word in a dictionary, reading something to the end before moving on. In this way it is much more linear, and organized, processing one thing before moving onto another.

As a digital native, I prefer things more simultaneously, writing a blog, listening to music, downloading a song, instant messaging someone, all done at the same time. However this does raise the question: am I writing to my best ability if doing so many things at the same time? Maybe a digital immigrant would be inclined to say no, if I were to work on only one thing at a time I’d be better able to concentrate and do it in half the time. But for me, I tend to think, “Why do one thing at a time when you can do four??”