Travelling in the car today, I picked up the last part of BBC Radio 4's Click On programme which interviewed Professor Michale Hulme of Lancaster University.The interview revolved around the way that young people used the Internet and he threw up some fascinating points, such as in terms of the Internet 82% said it was the first port of call for information and it was the first place they turn to for advice and support.
In discussing the habits of digital natives he said:
"they're characterised by the way they use these different modes of communication: text, voice, social networking, video, photographs and increasingly music as well. So we have a very rich fabric of communication. It's very different to older generations."
On the way that they obtain information from the Internet he says:
"they look at many different sources, they look at the way it's being used, they look at who is using it and then gradually they build up picture of something they may trust. ...If you take a news story, a person of this age may not go to a recognised, authoritative source but rather pick the news up by looking at several blogs, getting involved in some chat, in dialogue with people they know and gradually built up a news picture which is full of contradictions and different views and it builds up possibly a slightly richer view."
He also says:
"Young people almost act as miniature broadcasting stations - bringing information towards themselves and then sharing it."
And finally he discusses how young people are different to the older generation:
"[The Internet] is part of them. It is not a place they go to, it's just a place they live in. They draw no distinction between the physical and virtual world. It's completely enmeshed in their lives. This is very different from the older generations who tend to visit for a specific function, do something and come away."
He concludes by saying:
"They are where we are going, we will gradually adapt, we are gradually adapting. There's changes occurring all the time but this group is very important as they are us in the future."
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