Born Digital: How Children Grow Up in a Digital Age

by John Palfrey, Urs Gasser

Overview

"An excellent primer on what it means to live digitally. It should be required reading for adults trying to understand the next generation." — Nicholas Negroponte, author of Being Digital

The first generation of children who were born into and raised in the digital world are coming of age and reshaping the world in their image. Our economy, our politics, our culture, and even the shape of our family life are being transformed. But who are these wired young people? And what is the world they're creating going to look like? In this revised and updated edition, leading Internet and technology experts John Palfrey and Urs Gasser offer a cutting-edge sociological portrait of these young people, who can seem, even to those merely a generation older, both extraordinarily sophisticated and strangely narrow. Exploring a broad range of issues — privacy concerns, the psychological effects of information overload, and larger ethical issues raised by the fact that young people's social interactions, friendships, and civic activities are now mediated by digital technologies — Born Digital is essential reading for parents, teachers, and the myriad of confused adults who want to understand the digital present and shape the digital future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465053926
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	07/12/2016
Edition description:	Revised Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

John Palfrey is president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and a former faculty director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. He previously served as head of school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Urs Gasser is the Executive Director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. He has written and edited several books and has published over 100 articles in books, law reviews, and professional journals. He's also an advisor to international technology companies on information law matters.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Identities
2. Dossiers
3. Privacy
4. Protections
5. Safety
6. Creators
7. Navigators
8. Aggressors
9. Learners
10. Activists
11. Synthesis

Editorial Reviews

The authors are knowledgeable but never pedantic, their studious, emphatic approach is both valid and reassuring, and their overarching point—let's think about these things now, rather than trying to fix them later—well taken."—Washington Post

"A well-reasoned, thorough synthesis of some momentous, if familiar, ideas."—New Scientist

"A landmark sociological study of today's early adults"—Project Information Literacy

"Philosophy blends with social issues and insights in an invaluable pick for a brave new world, perfect for any discussions or collections strong in social issues, philosophy or science."—California Book Watch

"Born Digital offers a compelling account for parents, teachers, policy-makers, lawyers, and technical developers who want to know more about digital natives online activities and how these are changing society Palfrey and Gasser present a balanced view, highlighting problems and calling for solutions Born Digital is timely and informative."—Science

"Palfrey and Gasser's fine early history of this generation serves as a starting point for any conversation about how to mentor the children of the Web."—City Journal

"Parents and educators will benefit from Palfrey and Gasser's discussion of issues like safety, content control and illegal file sharing."—Publishers Weekly

"Ultimately, the book is an accessible survey of many of these as-yet-unsolved Internet dilemmas of our time and is well executed given the immense task of synthesizing the vast corpus of social science concerns relating to the Internet."—Library Journal

"Energetic, expert, and forward-looking, the authors serve as envoys between the generations. As old institutions crumble, there is a need for just this sort of enlightening, commonsensical, and positive guide to digital reality."—Booklist

From the Publisher

Born Digital doesn't pretend to have all the answers; the authors are knowledgeable but never pedantic, especially in areas where research is pending. While Palfrey and Gasser can leave you longing for grandiloquent generalizations, or at least a buzzword or two ("semiotic democracy" lacks sexiness), their studious, empathic approach is both valid and reassuring, and their overarching point—let's think about these things now, rather than trying to fix them later—well taken. Mixed with the broad consciousness-raising is specific advice for digitally challenged parents and teachers, on subjects from the judicious use of protective technology to the value of team-based, interactive (read: Wikipedia-esque) learning.
—The Washington Post

Amanda Henry

In this critical but optimistic overview, academics Palfrey (of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society) and Gasser (of the Swiss U. of St. Gallen) share their concern about the legal and social ramifications of the Internet with regard to the generation of "Digital Natives" born after 1980. In a wide-ranging examination of "the future opportunities and challenges associated with the Internet as a social space," Palfrey and Gasser find most young people fail to recognize the vulnerability of their information-that internet posts are never really private-and suggest tactful parental and school oversight. They find a more serious problem in the failure of the U.S. to regulate data mining by search engines, which even now have the potential to create cradle-to-grave dossiers on individuals, including online medical and financial records; they compare the U.S. system with Europe's policies, which have put in place much more effective data protection. Parents and educators will benefit from Palfrey and Gasser's discussion of issues like safety, content control and illegal file sharing; with proper attention from them, the authors see a bright future for the Internet that should foster "global citizens" with a "spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship and caring for society at large."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly

Palfrey (law & executive director, Berkmam Ctr. for Internet & Society, Harvard Law Sch.) and Gasser (law & director, Research Ctr. for Information Law, Univ. of Saint Gallen) offer a concerned evaluation of the challenges facing the generation known as digital natives who have grown up immersed in the use of and dependence upon information technology. This book is significant in its prompting of readers to consider that these young men and women are charting new territory and facing challenges that are distinctly unique to their era. This book is a wake-up call and a how-to guide for being a parent or teacher in an era that defies easy understanding. The authors propose circuitous partnerships of digital natives with parents, teachers, mentors, trusted social utilities, and law enforcement that serve as a means to produce a shift in understanding of digital-era challenges, e.g., the potential daily threats it poses to our privacy, safety, identity, and innovation. Ultimately, the book is an accessible survey of many of these as-yet-unsolved Internet dilemmas of our time and is well executed given the immense task of synthesizing the vast corpus of social science concerns relating to the Internet. Recommended especially for public libraries.
—Jim Hahn

Library Journal