Don Tapscott’s book, Grown Up Digital, was written to dispel the negative myths about our current generation, growing up in a technologically advanced world. In the introduction, he introduces the ten major concerns and critical views of the “Net Generation.” One of these criticisms is that children and teens today are unmotivated and lazy and therefore, will not succeed in the workforce (4). These critics believe that students in this generation have no career goals and spend more time on Facebook and Myspace than they do working on their future. They also believe that this generation is incapable of handling the demands of the workplace today and in the future(5). When they finally become employed, they also allegedly expect their workplace to accommodate their need for advanced technology and listen to their suggestions for changes in the way their workplace is managed.
The allegation that teens today are unmotivated and lazy is not at all supported by legitimate evidence. Nowadays, teens are balancing school with jobs, sports, music, community service and other extra curricular activities more than ever before. Making good grades is no longer enough to get you in to the college of your choice, you must also be incredibly involved with other activities. Most teens have very little downtime and if they choose to spend it on Facebook networking with friends, what is really wrong with that?
In regards career goals, I must also dispute that allegation. More and more students decide to go to college every year to pursue a degree so they can get a good job and make a living for themselves. They may not know right away what they want to major in, but sooner or later they figure it out and graduate into the workforce or go on to further their education with graduate school. The demands on this generation to be highly educated is much higher than earlier generations, so it is a stressful task to pick a major for a certain job and know that you want to spend the rest of your life in that career. For example, if a student chooses to pursue a degree in the arts, but later decides they want to be a business man, they must go back to college to get a different degree and with the costs of colleges rising, not many people can afford to do that.
I don't believe accusation that when a Net Gener gets employed, they immediately ask for newer technology and better management. That kind of behavior would result in job loss. However, if they are employed for a long period of time and they make suggestions for how management could be improved or what technology would better suit the workplace, good for them! I'm proud of my generation for taking initiative and not just settling for mediocre management and outdated technology. Those are the kind of people that change our workplaces and world for the better. I can remember countless times of my parents complaining about their bosses, but they never actually took the step to make suggestions for improvement. I work as a hostess in a new restaurant and my managers actually ASK me for suggestions for improvement in management and the hostess job requirements. I have only been working there since October and I am already promoted to be a Hostess Trainer because of my thoughtful suggestions to make our workplace better. When you take the time to try and improve where you work, most managers are impressed and respect that you care about how smooth your workplace runs.
None of the above allegations are supported by evidence when you take a close look at the current generation. Yes, we like to spend time on the computer and love social networking sites, but that is just a part of our generation. It does not make us lazy, unmotivated, or unfit to work in the modern day workplace.
