Using Social Media Tools to Reach Digital Natives Digital Natives, people for whom digital technologies already existed when they were born, are already a major part of our society and have a heavy influence on our future. Digital Natives have different attitudes, approaches and habits than those in preceding generations. They have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using digital media to express themselves, connect with friends, explore their worlds and create new content. By understanding the Digital Natives’ interactions with digital media, we will be able to better understand how to harness the opportunities their digital fluency presents and ultimately engage them in NASA’s mission. This session aims to address this challenge and explore how we can use social media tools to engage Digital Natives in our mission. Specific questions to be discussed during this session: Who is the Digital Native? Do Digital Natives really process information in a different way than Digital Immigrants? How do we use social media to recruit, engage and organize Digital Natives around our mission? Do they even want to participate?How can an existing organization adapt to the attitudes, approaches and habits of the Digital Natives?
“The first need is to become aware of the world in which we live; to survey its forces; to see the opposition in forces that are contending for mastery; to make up one’s mind which of these forces come from a past that the world in its potential powers has outlived and which are indicative of a better and happier future.” (Dewey, 1958)
Digital Natives and Social Media
Digital Natives are…
Wired: Digital Natives have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, iPods, video cams, cell phones, email, instant messaging, and social networking sites.
Wireless: Digital natives thrive on the convenience of communicating electronically and wirelessly.
Always On: Their networks and conversations don’t “end.” Many are comfortable blurring the liens between work and life.
Mobile: Work is not just at the office, it’s at the coffee shop, the hotel lobby, or at the airport.
Instantaneous: Digital Natives are used to giving and receiving information immediately. Anything is just a Google search away.
Impatient: Many raised in an environment and conditioned for “instant gratification.” May get bored or frustrated in the information flow is poor or too slow.
Expecting: Expectations arising from absorbing the culture and environment around them. Many have high expectations for salary, job flexibility, lifestyle, technology, and the future.
Famous: The internet gives anyone instant access to an audience.
Information Saturated: Continuous partial attention and multi-tasking. Studies suggest Digital Natives may think and process information fundamentally differently.
Experimental: New ideas can be implemented immediately without the need to ask for permission.
Participatory: Digital Natives work, write and interact with each other in ways that are very different from other generations.
Empowered: Encouraged to pursue happiness, follow their dreams, and embrace individuality.
Global: Digital Natives grew up in a world that is connected, accessible, interactive and open.
Diverse: Each of them have varing degrees of access to digital technologies, literacy skills, and participation within their peer culture.
Here
Here… and already making a large impact!
This generation has a lot to offer. It is…
A generation that can use tools and create technology that will change the world in new ways.
A generation that can innovate and communicate in new and distinctive ways.
A generation that can leverage their optimism and potential for a better future.
A generation that can be extremely productive and supportive, if engaged.
Engagement
So, how do we engage digital natives?
Social > media
Social media is a conversation that takes place online
Social media is the online tools that people use to create, share and connect with each other
To some, this may all sound like…
Blah blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah blah
Blah blah blah
blah
So why should we care?
#1) social media affects how information is delivered
#2) social media affects how knowledge is collected and organized
