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Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World HC | 
 enlarge | Author: Don Tapscott
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $16.03
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Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 1756
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0071508635
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.23
EAN: 9780071508636
ASIN: 0071508635
Publication Date: October 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
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Product Description
SELECTED AS A 2008 BEST BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE ECONOMIST. . The Net Generation Has Arrived. .
Are you ready for it? . . Chances are you know a person between the ages of 11 and 30. You've seen them 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. They're the first generation to have literally grown up digital--and they're part of a global cultural phenomenon that's here to stay. . . The bottom line is this: If you understand the Net Generation, you will understand the future. . . If you're a Baby Boomer or Gen-Xer: This is your field guide. . . A fascinating inside look at the Net Generation, Grown Up Digital is inspired by a $4 million private research study. New York Times bestselling author Don Tapscott has surveyed more than 11,000 young people. Instead of a bunch of spoiled �screenagers� with short attention spans and zero social skills, he discovered a remarkably bright community which has developed revolutionary new ways of thinking, interacting, working, and socializing. . . Grown Up Digital reveals: . . - How the brain of the Net Generation processes information .
- Seven ways to attract and engage young talent in the workforce.
- Seven guidelines for educators to tap the Net Gen potential.
- Parenting 2.0: There's no place like the new home .
- Citizen Net: How young people and the Internet are transforming democracy.
. Today's young people are using technology in ways you could never imagine. Instead of passively watching television, the �Net Geners� are actively participating in the distribution of entertainment and information. For the first time in history, youth are the authorities on something really important. And they're changing every aspect of our society-from the workplace to the marketplace, from the classroom to the living room, from the voting booth to the Oval Office. . . The Digital Age is here. The Net Generation has arrived. Meet the future. .
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 a must read for boomer parents January 8, 2009
Robert J. Morrow (Ontario, Canada)
As always, I've read the other reviews so as not to be redundant.
The general concensus: it's not a great business book.
My observation: I'm not sure Tapscott intends it to be. This is a book by a well-informed netgen parent trying to explain to boomer and genXer parents why they don't need to panic about their 13-30 year-old kids.
As a parent of five children in that age bracket I found it enlightening and, heaven forbid, may make me a better parent. It helped me understand why my boys play video games incessantly, yet still get good grades...and why my eldest 20-something daughters returned home after college (and why they aren't in any apparent rush to leave again).
I guess I'm in the same group as one reviewer's "mother", having not fully been introduced to the netgen, despite parenting them for over a quarter century. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm the only boomer in that group. As Tapscott clearly explains, most of us--even the enlightened ones--have our heads stuck in the sand because that's what we've been trained to do.
Tapscott's narrative is a bit exhaustive and near the end, I was glad the last page was drawing near. But for the first half of the book, I was continually surprised by his insights and conclusions--drawn from both grassroots and expensive, documented studies--that provide an honest look at the generation that will be running our world in a decade or so.
He speaks of the Obama/Clinton race and how netgeners altered history by uniting online. He speaks of the fast-paced learning capability of youth (often mislabelled as ADD by some old hacks), and the increasing interest of youth in how the world works--or should work.
I tested some of the theories on my bored, skateboarding, non-productive, un-social teenage son. I quickly found out that he is not bored but unchallenged; he is very productive in things that interest him; and he is far more social and world conscious than I ever was. I even have to admit that we get along better now, though due to an attitude change on my part, not his.
So, a business book it may not be. But if you're a parent who would appreciate a little insight, this is a must read!
Good information but seriously flawed January 8, 2009
John C. Stepper
Like "Wikinomics" before it, "Grown Up Digital" is full of interesting and relevant facts, examples and quotes. It also gave me several things to think about or to research (including shelfari.com now owned by Amazon).
For example, I liked the 8 "net generation norms" - freedom, customization, scrutiny, integrity, collaboration, entertainment, speed and innovation - and how they're applied to various topics throughout the book including the workplace and consumerism. These 8 norms provide a useful framework for examining how the net generation may view or seek to change other areas.
However, for all the useful information, I find the style and tone of the book to be that of a self-aggrandizing cheerleader rooting for a cause than that of a serious analyst.
Examples:
- Applying the woefully over-hyped and overused "2.0" label to yet more areas (and even claiming credit for some as original thoughts) - "The 2.0 School", "Consumers 2.0", "Leadership 2.0", "Film 2.0", "Talent 2.0", "Democracy 2.0" and "Marketing 2.0, as I call it."
- Promoting that the book is based on a $4 million research study, then littering the book with 38(!) references from his 2 children as exemplars of the net generation plus more quotes from his wife, daughter's boyfriend, and kids' friends.
- Making broad sweeping statements with little or no backing. There *are* many useful statistics in the book but there are many claims which are backed up only by an anecdote or a quote from his children. In a section on memory and internet use, for instance, it is ridiculous to list "learning a new language of acronyms, like OMG and LOL" as evidence. Or, in telling one of several Best Buy stories in the book he labels all of the employees as being "vibrant and artistic and are into the latest and greatest technology and extremely passionate about storytelling (p. 150)" That's downright silly. (Clearly, the author has never been to Best Buy!) Why not just stick with the useful facts or stories and leave the pseudo-science and hyperbole aside?
- Employing an informal writing style undermines what are, in places, serious hypotheses. Combined with all of the familial references, it makes it unclear what is fact-based analysis and what is just first-person experience. There are far too many grating references to "net geners" and "boomers" as if they're two sports clubs. And, phrases like "this ain't your daddy's Internet" or "these kids are alright" or "Give us a break!" make the book feel more like a tract defending "the kids" than a serious work.
Despite its flaws, the book is still useful, but the hyperbole and cheerleading cause it to be less than it might have been.
 Repeated the same info over and over January 8, 2009
C. Cole (Chicago, IL)
Reality is I agree with Tapscott's assessments for the most part, but I think it could have been easily covered in a much shorter book. Seemed to be unnecessarily long given the content. Repeated the same statements a number of time, especially in the first 3 chapters (in some cases it seemed the an entire paragraph was cut and pasted to a new part of the book). I liked the chapter on education, but I took issue with his government-needs-to-fix-it assessment. Tapscott is clearly an Obama fan, and note: Obama picked Chicago's education leader, Arnie Duncan, to be his education secretary. Duncan has said many times that giving a ton of money to the poor district schools (although needed) doesn't necessarily fix the problems. In contrast, Duncan has said that instead giving the $$ to the kids parents, or paying the parents (to help kids at home with homework and be strong parent, etc) -- would likely have a much bigger impact. Tapscott never mentions the parents and parental responsibility, which is such a big part of the problem. If Dan's two kids (Niki and Alex) grew up going to a poorly funded poor public HS in Chicago, they'd probably do just fine -- because their parents would force them to study and help them. Parenting is a HUGE part of it and he NEVER mentioned it. I also took issue with his incredibly biased political positions, and this is coming from an Obama fan and supporter (me). But reading Tapscott over and over showing technology and political bias was frankly annoying and took much away from his message (although I was fine with his coverage of how Obama used technology so strategically in his election -- good points there). On the technology side -- basically I got tired of reading about Facebook, Google, Blackberries, and MacBooks. He kept plugging these technologies over and over and over again, without giving equal coverage to similar technologies. Wonder why? And another -- downloading music is stealing and undermines his claim that the Net Generation is so full of integrity. Most of these folks blatantly steal (fully knowing that it's stealing), and they think about themselves first rather than the use they serve the company (hence switching jobs 5 times in their first 5 years of employment). Sorry dude, there's no integrity in that. So drop the integrity argument -- you failed to convince me.
Fairly Interesting but Distracting Layout & Overly Rosy View of Gen Y January 5, 2009
CrimsonGirl (S.F. Bay Area, USA)
As a Gen Xer raising "digital native" children, I've been following the debate between technology enthusiasts like Mr. Tapscott and technology alarmists like Dr. Mark Bauerlein (author of The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30)) over the impact of computers on the developing brain. I find myself agreeing with some of the arguments on both sides. The truth seems rather more nuanced than the overly rosy picture painted by Mr. Tapscott and the overly negative one painted by Dr. Bauerlein.
"Grown Up Digital" actually criticizes "The Dumbest Generation" at length but much of that critique is a simple dismissal of Dr. Bauerlein as a crusty "NetGenophobe" who feels threatened by the cultural changes embraced by the younger generation. In addition, some of the data Mr. Tapscott uses to claim that the NetGen is smarter is flawed. For example, he includes a graph of SAT scores jumping in 1995, right when he puts the first NetGeners entering the data pool, without mentioning that was the very same year the exam was completely redesigned (including allowing calculator use) and re-centered. One simply cannot directly compare pre-'95 SAT scores with post-'95 scores. Average scores on the ACT (which was not redesigned) did not show a similar increase and, in fact, *DECLINED* between 2001 and 2005.
The other big issue I had with "Grown Up Digital" was the cluttered style of the book. It is laid out like a magazine or webpage with lots of subtitles and text blurbs rather than a scholarly work. I suppose it makes it easier for the type of superficial skimming that the NetGen is so fond of, but I found it distracting when trying to give Mr. Tapscott's arguments careful consideration.
The final thing I did not care for in "Grown Up Digital" was the absolutely fawning treatment of Barack Obama in the chapter on the NetGen and democracy. Any discussion of Obama's candidacy is going to be positive because however one feels about Obama's political views, one has to give him credit for his tremendous success in mobilizing support among NetGeners via social media and the like. That said, Mr. Tapscott (a former student activist during the '60's) goes *WAY* over the top in his gushing over Obama- it's almost sycophantic. And it also overlooks the fact that Obama's support was not as universal among NetGeners as Mr. Tapscott would have his readers believe. Nearly 1 in 3 voters under 30 ended up casting their ballots for McCain in the 2008 general election. "Grown Up Digital" would've been better off had Mr. Tapscott been more objective in his discussion of Obama and less swayed by his own liberal beliefs.
 Who Shouldn't Read This Book?! January 3, 2009
Levente Smith (Austin, TX)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a Net Gener myself, I couldn't help but wonder if Don Tapscott had been looking over my shoulder when he wrote this book. Grown Up Digital not only captured the essence of what it means to be a part of the Net Generation, but I found myself acting out the exact things he wrote. When I began reading, I had the television on (strictly as background noise) and my laptop was only feet away if I needed to check my email or visit a Web site mentioned in the book.
Tapscott's explanation of what it means to be a part of the Net Generation is consummate. I found myself nodding along as I read the eight Net Gen norms illustrated in multiple chapters. I have more friends changing jobs every two or three years, or moving back home while they figure out how to have a more worthwhile career. I have received emails calling a company out on things such as their employee treatment or their non-philanthropic agenda. I, in turn, scrutinize that email to make sure it is factual before I take any boycott action. And sometimes I do lose my patience when things are not progressing at high speed.
Executives, politicians, Net Gen parents and Net Geners themselves need to read this book. All would benefit from Tapscott's insight into what makes the Net Gen tic. He touches on this generation's current and eventual impact in the workplace, government and the family structure. Grown Up Digital clearly illustrates how much this generation already has and will affect this world.
I don't think my generation has all the answers to the world's problems, but I finished this book with a sense of hope. Not everyone sees us as lazy and apathetic. Tapscott recognizes us for who we are- an innovative, passionate and history-changing group of young people, and he provides plenty of anecdotes and research to back him up.
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