Book Review: Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott

Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott dissects the world of the net generation. His book is filled with wonderful insight into the technology driven existence of young people:

“Chances are you know a person between the ages of 11 and 30 whom you’ve seen 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. This is the first generation to have literally grown up digital - and it’s part of a global cultural phenomenon that’s here to stay.”

This book is not only an interesting read for those of us included within the net generation, but is also a great teaching tool for those that “don’t get it”. It dissects most technologies and their relevance in the Net Gen’s everyday life with explanations of how all of this is actually useful in society today – and not a bad thing! 

I chose to use Tumblr as a way to explain the book for a couple of reasons. One of the repeating themes Tapscott comes back to is the Net Gen’s ability to multi-task and be connected at all times. Tumblr is great because you can collect most forms of information in one place – photos, text, video, audio, dialogue, etc. Not only can you post content from your own computer, but you can also “re-blog” or share content from other users but have it posted to your own page/blog. This is a great way to share information and establish connections. You are also capable of tagging your own posts as well as searching through all other public posts using keywords. Tumblr has apps available for use through mobile devices, can be accessed from any computer with internet, and shared through Facebook and other social media sites.

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I found it to be a great way to share important quotes from the text, my own thoughts on the book, viewpoints of the book and it’s message from other users, as well as a great way to share thoughts and video from the author himself. Enjoy!

Tagging

When I read the word "tagging" I am initially inclined to think of Facebook and, primarily, it's photo "tagging" feature. This is great for organizing photos throughout the years associated with you/your name/your profile all in one place. After reading the articles on folksonomies and social tagging, my understanding of the concept went a step further.

I have been obsessed lately with the site Pinterest. After reading about Delicious, which I had never used before and had not heard a lot about, honestly, I think that they are very similar in nature. With Pinterest, you can search for specific tags which will bring up photos with links attached to content. The categories range form recipes, home decor, style, etc. all with links to outside sites, blogs, and so on. You can also add friends to see what they are "pinning" and "re-pin" the data, or you can "pin" anything from the web that you wish to have organized - much like the concept of "bookmarking" but with the ability to share these "bookmarks" with others. 

I think that this general idea, and specifically Pinterest, is a great way to organize information you may find on the internet. I like the having the ability to have a visual image, tagging/captioning capabilities, as well as automatic linking to the original source. The "Pin It" button is available for you to keep in your bookmark bar which makes it so easy to add anything you would want to add to your boards.