Menyinggung soal digital native dan kaitannya dengan media; saya direkomendasikan sebuah buku oleh Rane yang rasanya bagus dibaca oleh pengelola media untuk menyiapkan diri menghadapi generasi baru pasca baby boomer ini. Thanks to Rane.rnrnKalau Marc Prensky menyebut generasi baru ini dengan digital native; maka Growing Up Digital karya Don Tapscott menyebut generasi ini sebagai N-Gen (terambil dari Internet atau Net Generation).rnrnMungkin bagus juga menyimak buku ini sebagai sebuah langkah antisipasi. Menariknya; juga sudah tersedia website yang khusus membahas isi buku dan tema besar growing up digital yang bisa dilihat di sini.rnrnSitus tersebut cukup lengkap membahas berbagai aspek dari N-Gen. Mulai dari cara berpikir; cara belajar; hingga bagaimana perilaku mereka sebagai konsumer!rnrnDi situs tersebut misalnya dibahas tentang N-Gen culture yang mungkin bermanfaat bagi pengelola media dan juga perilaku konsumer dari N-Gen yang terkait dengan dunia marketing. Tentu; paling tidak buat saya; berkait erat juga dengan peran sebagai orang tua yang akan dan sedang menghadapi generasi sejenis di rumah kita sendiri!rnrnTema budaya dari N-Gen yang tercantum dalam situs adalah sebagai berikut:rnrn rnrn Strong Independence The typical N-Gener has a strong sense of independence & autonomy. N-Gen’s unprecedented access to information also gives them the power to acquire the knowledge necessary to confront information they feel may not be correct. rn Emotional and Intellectual Openness When N-Geners go online they expose themselves. They will maintain online journals and post their innermost thoughts on a Web page or in a chat room. A strong online example of N-Geners’ openness is The Diary Project where young people around the world contribute their thoughts; feelings; experiences and aspirations. rn Inclusion N-Geners are moving toward greater social inclusion with technology; not exclusion. Their creative processes show a move toward global orientation in all of their activities. Check out a virtual community of about 30;000 N-Geners at Freezone. rn Free Expression and Strong Views Being exposed to a lot of information on the Internet is to their benefit; insists N-Gen; and is a key element of the Internet’s appeal and usefulness. This issue is discussed in The Generation Lap. rn Innovation N-Geners live and breathe innovation; constantly looking for ways to do things better. These expectations of constant change and the ability to build or construct experiences have implications in our discussion of N-Gen Thinking and the education of N-Gen in N-Gen Learning. rn Preoccupation with Maturity The changing nature of childhood makes itself most obvious when N-Geners are contrasted with the baby boomers who; as a generation; have spent their lives obsessed with being youthful. N-Geners insist that they are more mature than adults expect. rn Investigations When it comes to technology; N-Gen’s initial focus is not how it works but how to work it. It is important for children to understand the assumptions inherent in software and to feel empowered to change those assumptions.When the Internet first became popular; one of the joys of surfing was never knowing what site you could end up at next. Search engines like Yahooligans have contributed to ending that level of mystery and uncertainty. rn Immediacy Interactivity and the speed of the Net have greatly increased the process of communicating. What used to take days or weeks; now takes seconds. rn Sensitivity to Corporate Interest N-Geners feel that much of the broadcasting material they see on television is there to satisfy corporate agendas. However; on the Internet there has been such a flurry of creation involving so many people working in home-grown cottage industries; that there is even more intense sensitivity to corporate interest. rn Authentication and Trust Because of the anonymity; accessibility; diversity; and ubiquity of the Net; children must continually authenticate what they see or hear. Many sites provide inaccurate; invalid and even deceptive information. Pranksters spread false rumours. Who can the child trust? What sources of information are valid? Authentication of everything is required to establish trust. rnrn rnrn rnrnSedangkan untuk perlikau N-Gen sebagai konsumer yang berkait dengan dunia marketing; situs menulis ringkasan sebagai berikut:rnrn rnrn N-Geners Want Options rn Availability of choice is a deeply held value in N-Gen culture. Having grown up in a free and interactive world; nothing is more foreign to them than limits and monopolies. rn N-Gen Customizationrn N-Geners are entering a world of highly customized products and services which will be shaped by them; not just as a market; but as individuals. This is causing changes in learning and the relationship between working; learning; and daily life as a consumer. Brand names may be able to overcome this obstacle as they have done so many times; however the future may lead to a change in the way products are marketed; and already in the way products are bought. rn They want to Change Their Mindsrn Video games and the Net are an environment where mistakes can immediately be corrected and situations can be re-created. N-Geners; however; also expect to be able to change their minds; not just to correct their mistakes. They want to be able to “change their minds a thousand times”; as country singer Shania Twain says. Marketers should pay attention to this fact. rn Try Before They Buyrn N-Geners are not viewers or listeners or readers. They are users. They reject the notion of expertise as they shift through information at the speed of light by themselves; for themselves. It is difficult to convince them that they must have anything. Other industries can learn what the software and video game industries have already adopted – make your product free to use for a limited time. If it’s use becomes integrated into the N-Gen routine; making activities faster; brighter; and easier; then the product becomes indispensable and the companies can begin to charge. rn The Ethics of Advertising to N-Genrn Given the growing influence of the N-Gen in adult purchasing; we can expect that advertisers will launch massive campaigns to deliver their messages to N-Geners – on packaging; billboards; print media; television; and increasingly; the Net. But there are ethical problems that arise when advertisers target children; and those questions are becoming harder to answer.rnrn rnrnMenarik untuk di telaah; baik sebagai pengelola media maupun sebagai bagian dari proses marketing. Punya ide dan komentar?