The Net Generation

This term describes a specific sector of young people world wide.  It refers to an exclusive group as barely 9% of the world population is online and the digital divide between "media rich" and "media poor" is real.⁵  The Net Generation refers to young people primarily in richer countries and to affluent people within those countries. 

In these richer countries, many young people have grown up surrounded by new technologies.  It is a world where computers and the Internet have always existed.  The mobile phone is part of the mainstream usage.  They have been called the "Net Generation" or the "Always on Generation" as Bill Belsey has described the young people in his web site on Cyberbullying. ⁶ What distinguishes them from previous generations and their peers, on the other side of the digital divide, is that they are wired, connected, media savvy and they are aware that in many cases they are more comfortable with technology than their parents.  They occupy a world where they are comfortable with the technology, communication technologies and other forms of interactive media and approach them with enthusiasm. 

Young people are using the Internet in increasing numbers.  It is being used for education, gathering information, and entertainment and above all for communicating through the use of e-mail, chat rooms and instant messaging.   The majority of these social activities are harmless and the technology allows young people to connect with each other in much the same way their parents used the telephone.