Digital natives continued

The phrase 'digital natives' suggests that ‘natives’ have some inherent character, a problematic suggestion in literature that has long positioned the ‘essential’ native in opposition to ‘immigrants’. Of course, in this case the ‘essence’ ascribed to the native is designed to be a positive recognition of particular sets of skills (i.e. computer competency) but the historical pattern of ascribing differences between natives and immigrants (or natives and invaders) makes the easy use of these terms unlikely.

C/- Leonie Rowan