Today’s blog post is another educational one. There is a
term that people have been using in recent years to talk about the generation
of online users who grew up around technology. These people are called “digital natives”. They are well-versed in social media and have no trouble moving
seamlessly between online platforms. In the advertising world, it is understood
that capturing the attention of a digital native gives you the power to make your
message go viral. The hard part is understanding them.
I thought I would explore the concept of the digital native
in today’s post. The term really captures the feeling of trying to interpret a
social media platform you don’t use; you feel like an anthropologist trying to
decipher the codes and symbols of an unfamiliar culture. You can observe their
behaviour, but can only speculate as to what it all means. In honour of that
feeling, I have written down some anthropological notes about the study of
digital natives and their behaviour on various social media platforms.
The
digital native spends a lot of time on Instagram. Because of the many filter
options, the digital native is able to share photos of themselves without
anyone actually knowing what they look like. It is the cultural equivalent of a
masquerade ball. Digital natives use it to establish themselves as a member of
the social elite, posting highly stylized photographs of their everyday lives.
Some even take to posting black and white photographs of rain
on a windowpane. Is this person an artist? Is this post some kind of statement? Was the digital
native simply bored, being stuck inside all day, and thought it might be fun to
take a picture? The beauty of Instagram is that on this platform, anything can be art; anything can be a statement. The digital native is
nothing if not cutting-edge.
"Cutting edge"
Common uses:
- Making yourself look really, really cool
- Letting people know what you had for lunch that day, but in, like, a “cool” way
YouTube
YouTube
is considered a social media site. However, it is a common misconception that
digital natives will post videos to this platform. The truth is, video sharing
is YouTube’s secondary purpose. Its primary purpose is to give digital natives
the opportunity to have extensive arguments in the comment section. It does not
matter what the YouTube video is actually about; the video is more of an
icebreaker to the digital native—like wearing a funky necklace to a party. The
digital native will argue any topic, ranging from tension in the Middle East to
how Dexter really should have ended.
Common uses:
- Watching old or foreign TV shows in 3 parts, watching Taylor Swift music videos, and watching clips of cats
- Yelling about Obama in the comments section
The digital native has an uncontrollable urge to broadcast
their thoughts to the world. For this reason, the digital native uses Twitter
to construct short, vacuous statements about the weather, how long it’s taking
for the bus to get there, how they missed the bus because they were looking at
their phone, and the ever-popular how much they are enjoying their kale salad
#kalesalad
Common uses:
- Criticizing celebrities
- Speaking @ each other, rather than with each other
Once
a sprawling metropolis of online conversation, today, Facebook is merely a
relic from an earlier time. The elders of the tribe can still remember how they
used to share links, indicate their approval of a friend’s post, and even playing
games on this platform. Now, the digital native barely ever uses Facebook to
communicate. This is because in recent years, it has been overtaken by another
group: the digital immigrants. A digital immigrant is someone who adopted an
online presence later in life. These people are typically old and irrelevant.
Much like in the real world, digital natives try not to have too much contact
with digital immigrants, preferring instead to restrict them to the dark recesses
of the online social world. It is here that the digital immigrant will post
blurry photos of retirement parties and their daughters’ dance recitals.
Common uses:
- Occasionally untagging some unflattering pictures
- Making sure you haven’t missed your aunt’s birthday
- Checking to see if that guy from High School is still dating that girl—Alex or Amy or something
Blogs
This
platform is only for the elite. Only the most self-assured, pretentious,
pedantic digital natives will have their own blog. These people are not social
pariahs as one might presume. On the contrary; all of these qualities are held
in the highest esteem by the digital native. Popular topics for blogs are
fashion, DIY, travel, and the Advertising Account Management program at
Sheridan College. The best blogs are those that are thought-provoking and
shamelessly self-referential. Digital natives that are able to construct such a
blog are celebrated as gods among men.
Common uses:
- Inciting valuable conversations
- Creating content that people enjoy and are almost never critical of
I hope that these notes have been informative. If you have any
other observations to share, please post them in the comment section below. Let
me take this opportunity to remind you that this is not a YouTube comment
section, so keep your comments positive and at least somewhat relevant.
