First off, the video that we watched did such a good job explaining the concept of Visitors and Residents. I have never heard of that concept before so it was eye opening and relatable. I can relate because I am always on the internet so I was aware of what was being mentioned and stated such as the fact that we grew up with technology and the online world is not new to us. We are always engaged with it and it is a part of our every day lives. Hearing about the term, “digital natives” was also new. I never thought about growing up with technology as a way of being native to it.
I would consider myself a digital native because I grew up using technology at a very young age. Even when I did not know of how to connect with others, I mainly used it as a way to enjoy the entertainment online. Considering this, I also feel that as I grew up, I built up an online presence that allowed for me to connect with my friends and family but also allowed for me to connect with people I did not know. Its definitely amazing the way that we are able to utilize the internet for so many things and there are so many learning opportunities through the internet. I would definitely say that a lot of what I have learned is mainly from the internet besides things that I needed to learn from my family.
When reading the article by Mesch, I found that a lot of what was mentioned were mainly the positives of the youth growing up in an environment with technology. The youth are able to connect, learn and grow through the internet while also being able to find their identity and who they are. One thing that I felt like I knew but was able to reflect back on was the fact that as we grow up using the internet, it affects the way we develop and the way we start to see things based off of what we learn through online. It is also incredible when we think about how many youth are learning their skills and knowledge just based off of information on the internet, but then again, the internet is almost endless.
