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Does the digital native/immigrant dichotomy work?



    I felt, as I was reading the Prenska article, that my knee-jerk reaction was that I was fortunate to have grown up at the right time (mid-late 2000s), when Web 2.0 features were coming into mainstream culture. I was learning them like everyone else, and I had an advantage. My reaction to the digital immigrants was that these were relatively older users I saw on Facebook, either using ChatGPT for the first time and sharing a tacky image (see Figure 1), or exclusively using their online interactions in my local ‘rants, raves, and reviews’ to initiate arguments. My brain's intuition couldn't have been right. Is there a right way to interact with online communities? That's what constitutes me as a digital native? Are these users who use Facebook and AI in those other ways digital immigrants? Although it's a niche of folks who argue on Facebook, they still use that social media website as it was intended: to connect and interact with others online. So, what is it that makes me feel like they're the immigrants to this digital space?

 



Figure 1. My (truly wonderful) Aunt Robbin is sharing her 1,092nd ChatGPT image on Facebook. This one made it her profile banner.

Sorrentino's article warns of the dangers of Prensky's dichotomy between digital natives and immigrants, noting that it's really not that simple. Same for anything else we try to dichotomize... It's ultimately on a spectrum. Sorrentino says that: "younger generations are not actively and extensively making use of new technologies such as wikis, blogs, and 3D virtual worlds for creating content", and that age is not the only factor that determines a person's digital 'with-it-ness'. I had to reflect on my bias and misconceptions about all digital users.... the online sphere should be a "digital melting pot". Not all young people are creating incredible, innovative online content, and not all older Facebook users are polluting the online sphere with negative content and chilling AI self-portraits. I think this is self-growth.

Comments

  1. We're All Potatoes at HeartMay 24, 2026 at 5:43 PM

    While reading Prenska's article, I mainly thought about myself and how I grew up as a digital native. How technology shaped my classroom experiences going through grade school in the early 2000s. However, your aunt's 1,029th generated ChatGPT picture instantly made me think of my mom, who is undoubtedly a digital immigrant but has embraced technology in a way similar to your aunt.

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  2. Felipe VernequeMay 26, 2026 at 8:37 AM

    Tanner, your post highlights very well how terms like “digital native” can unintentionally create judgments about what kinds of online behavior seem more legitimate or sophisticated. In reality, online communities are messy and diverse spaces where people interact differently depending on their experiences and motivations. I think the most important insight is not whether someone is a native or immigrant, but whether they are able to navigate digital spaces critically, ethically, and intentionally.

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  3. Blake's BistroMay 31, 2026 at 6:32 AM

    Potatoes at Heart, it truly is surreal to observe and compare those 'digital' generations. From our parents/aunts, to us, and now I'm observing the even more embedded digital nativity of the students I teach, I can't even foresee their capabilities in the Web 2.0 sphere as they get older.

    Felipe, they are indeed messy. I definitely agree with your mantra about how these folks (regardless of their disposition/time spent in Web 2.0 spaces) interact with others and that their intent is ultimately positive.

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