The dumbest generation? Not this crowd

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Just yesterday I received a review copy of the book The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.

In fairness, I've just started reading the book and am looking forward to it. But what I've gleaned so far from the cited research is that kids today are so busy texting friends, downloading content, playing video games, and socializing online that they're losing touch with reading (even online), civic engagement and a solid work ethic.

That profile--especially the last item--doesn't apply to the Silicon Valley teens here Tuesday at SD Forum's second annual Teens in Tech confab.

Take Anshal Samar, the 14-year-old inventor of chemistry card game Elementeo, who at last year's conference said he wanted to earn his first million dollars by the time he graduated middle school. Now on the verge of selling his fantasy-education game to the public, he could meet that goal out of 8th grade. (He already has 5,000 orders, but he hopes to raise as much as $1 million to distribute 50,000 sets by next fall.) Samar used the Web and photo-editing software to create his game.

Anshul Samar, the 14-year-old inventor of chemistry card game Elementeo

(Credit: Stefanie Olsen/CNET News.com)

Or Sejal Hathi, a 16-year-old at Notre Dame High School in San Jose, Calif., who founded the nonprofit Girls Helping Girls to inspire young women around the world to affect social change in their communities. The Internet is central to Hathi's push to get the word out about her organization.

Or Jonathan Wilde, a 15-year-old programmer who recently won Google's Highly Open Participation Contest for work on open-source document management software called Plone. He said during the conference that he's developing his own open-source software that he hopes to launch soon.

Sure, all of these teens loosely fit the mold of a wired generation. They spend multiple hours online every day on sites like Google, Yahoo, Facebook, and YouTube. And they're no stranger to texting friends or creating content online. But they're behavior is more indicative of an uber-ambitious class of kids (likely raised by tech-savvy parents) that's bending technology to their will rather than staying beholden to it.

The teens were invited here Tuesday to Hewlett-Packard's campus as part of a day-long event focused on how the young generation is using technology to innovate, start new companies, or organize around causes. Marketers and investors were naturally in toe to talk about efforts to reach younger audiences online and scout for fresh ideas.

The panelists were arguably among the cream of the crop of their generation, so you could hardly consider them dumb. Their ideas and drive could turn them into the next Catherine Cook or Mark Zuckerburg. But that tech prowess and ambition could have as much to do with their genes as their geographic location.

"Being in Silicon Valley makes it impossible not to be an entrepreneur. I didn't want to wait 10 years," Samar said during an opening presentation of his company. Dressed in a power-blue shirt and blazer, you could hardly tell Samar from the executives in the crowd, except that he barely cleared the podium.

Most of the teens had behaviors unlike what you read in most research reports.

For example, during a panel at the conference (which I moderated), all of the kids said that they had abandoned MySpace in favor of Facebook. Among the reasons: Facebook lacked MySpace's gaudiness, offered superior privacy controls, and could better connect an upwardly mobile teen to professional contacts. Hathi, for example, uses Facebook "cause" groups to market her nonprofit.

Still, given the choice of another, simpler social network, most of the teens said that they would have no problem switching if their friends were there.

Most of the panelists said that they don't use instant chat, despite popularity of tools like AOL Instant Messenger among teens. Instead, most of them said that e-mail was the best way to blast out a message to friends; and then catch up with responses when they're not busy later. None of the teens seemingly had the time for the micro-blogging service Twitter.

In response to a question about whether e-mail's utility will stay relevant in the age of MySpace and Facebook, they all said that it would.

"E-mail will survive because it's far more professional than other forms of digital communication," said Hathi.

Another apparent anomaly among these teens was that they were all concerned with their privacy online. The group said that they try to avoid leaving any digital tracks and use high privacy settings in social networks.

Wilde, for example, attributed this behavior to his parents. Wilde said they made an impression on him while young to avoid sending e-mail or posting anything online that he wouldn't be comfortable with the world reading.

As for books, most of the teen panelists lamented that they didn't read as much as they would like, apart from school assignments. Yet they do get much of their news online. Hathi said she regularly reads The Economist and The New York Times online. Deanna Alexander, a 17-year-old from Mountain View, Calif., said she read about the recent earthquake in China online. Wilde, who writes his own blog on robotics, said he likes to keep up with industry sites like Engadget.

So what's missing in all this technology? Oddly enough, most of the teens said that personal connections are getting lost in the time spent with software built to connect people. When asked what they would do without MySpace and Facebook, for example, most of the panelists said with some regret that they would probably spend more face time with their friends and family.

"We might spend more time with people on a more personal level," said Alexander, who builds art-focused Web sites in her free time.

Wilde agreed. During his work on the Google contest, he said he met some of the event organizers. But ultimately he felt a lack of a real connection to them through email or a social network.

"You don't really establish a relationship until you actually talk to that person or shake their hand," he said.

Sounds smart to me.

[gagahput3ra]

The dumb one is who wrote that book.

[UITD]

Why is the author "dumb"? Because its true? Because it hit a nerve and makes 100% sense?

Would it be because this generation thinks they deserve <whatever> simply because they feel they're entitled to it?

This generation is the culmination of a couple of generations of nitwits who produced and raised offspring and never said NO to them.

They gave them whatever they wanted, whever they wanted it. They allowed them to stay up all night, do whatever they wanted to, act like buffoons in public and then watch their slack-attentive parents defend them for every wrong thing they did. They watched their absentee-parents tell all sorts of authority figures to basically "f off" because no one was going to say NO to their kids.

They expect everything handed to them. And what's worse is that they want everyone around them to know when they need, whatever it is that they want. And they want it free. Oh, and they want to get paid 65K right out of college. Why? Because they had it tough in school for the past 4 to 6 years.

Here's a little tip for this generation, and your parents too: you arent nearly as important as you believe you are. You are rude, self-centered and selfish. You are irresponsible and you're arrogant. You do not know any social graces and the word respect isnt in your limited vocabulary.

And thats just the beginning of what is wrong with today's generation. Dont tell me that every generation spoke of the previous like this.... you can go shopping and be exposed to the rudeness that is prevelent out there in a matter of seconds. That is, of course, if they dont smack into you on the road or in the parking lot while they try to drive AND text their precious friends at the same time.

For some reason, a couple of generations back - into the 1980's or so, all of what worked for centuries was thrown out the window. All that we knew on raising children, developing families and knowing our neighbors was crushed -- all in the name of change.

Somehow that fruity generation decided that they hated the way they were raised and they were going to change. Change is for the weak. Change is for those who cant stay the course. Change is for those who dont have a life-path set out. You cant be on course or know if you're off course if you keep "embracing change".

And these bigger buffoons running for President think we want change? We dont want change. We want to go back to what worked. The 1990s and so far the 2000's DO NOT WORK.

We have broken everything. Shape up people. Shape up before its too late.

[dnysuperstarnumberone]

i am currently a junior year student of furniture design. my teachers often regard me as lazy and without a work ethic, because my craftsmanship on certain projects is sub-par.

in my, and my generation's, defense, we aren't without a work ethic, we're creating a new work ethic.

the schools prepare us to work a steady job from graduation to death, with the occasional promotion.

we prefer networking, decentralizing, trading.

the schools are preparing me personally to be completely reliant upon a dozen or so machines, all $5,000 or more. what, exactly, will i do upon graduation?

next semester i take a digital fabrication class. designing on the computer, sending to an automated CNC router; the class i've been looking forward to since entering school. because this is the way of the future. the is what i will use upon graduation.

my traditional techniques "lack work ethic." my current and future techniques, i am sure, will show more than enough "work ethic."

[maverick_nick]

It's strange, because I'd think that kids of today, whom live in a user-generate-content-world would be reading and writing more than most kids of previous generations.

[dascha1]

So which one is planning to earn an online degree from Harvard living on beans-n-rice in Arkansas? Let's hope their teachers really prepare them for life before they enter the workplace. Kids - listen-up, it's about saving rather than spending. When you're in your 20s, don't do anything stupid... Don't raise funds you don't plan on paying back to get your whiz-copter off the ground. Save, save, save and then you can do whatever you want innovation-wise. Good luck!

[techprophet]

dascha1 couldn't have said it better. And yes, more user-generated content means people are writing more. I am barely out of Junior High and already doing professional web design. Although I much prefer desktop programming and linux setup, etc. Maybe I can get an IT job somewhere soon...

[UITD]

Good luck. You have to compete with IT people in India and China that will undercut you down to $6 to $7 per hour rates. You're better off learning a trade like electrician or plumbing. They cant outsource your toilet repair to Vietnam or Lithuania!

[UITD]

Why is the author "dumb"? Because its true? Because it hit a nerve and makes 100% sense? Would it be because this generation thinks they deserve <whatever> simply because they feel they're entitled to it? This generation is the culmination of a couple of generations of nitwits who produced and raised offspring and never said NO to them. They gave them whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it. They allowed them to stay up all night, do whatever they wanted to, act like buffoons in public and then watch their slack-attentive parents defend them for every wrong thing they did. They watched their absentee-parents tell all sorts of authority figures to basically "f off" because no one was going to say NO to their kids. They expect everything handed to them. And what's worse is that they want everyone around them to know when they need, whatever it is that they want. And they want it free. Oh, and they want to get paid 65K right out of college. Why? Because they had it tough in school for the past 4 to 6 years. Here's a little tip for this generation, and your parents too: you arent nearly as important as you believe you are. You are rude, self-centered and selfish. You are irresponsible and you're arrogant. You do not know any social graces and the word respect isnt in your limited vocabulary. And thats just the beginning of what is wrong with today's generation. Dont tell me that every generation spoke of the previous like this.... you can go shopping and be exposed to the rudeness that is prevalent out there in a matter of seconds. That is, of course, if they dont smack into you on the road or in the parking lot while they try to drive AND text their precious friends at the same time. For some reason, a couple of generations back - into the 1980's or so, all of what worked for centuries was thrown out the window. All that we knew on raising children, developing families and knowing our neighbors was crushed -- all in the name of change. Somehow that fruity generation decided that they hated the way they were raised and they were going to change. Change is for the weak. Change is for those who cant stay the course. Change is for those who dont have a life-path set out. You cant be on course or know if you're off course if you keep "embracing change". And these bigger buffoons running for President think we want change? We dont want change. We want to go back to what worked. The 1990s and so far the 2000's DO NOT WORK. We have broken everything. Shape up people. Shape up before its too late.

[Aelwrath]

Epic fail. How about not making generalizations about an entire generation and maybe stating some sources? At least we weren't the generation growing up in the 60's that came so close to a positive reform of the social system, and then gave up after a couple obstacles.

[lrosen9999]

First off, let me say that I have not read the book but plan to asap. Second, let me say that I have completed studies of thousands of Net Generation kids and my data do not substantiate the claims that they are dumb at all. The data do show that they use technology more than any previous generation. The data do show that they multitask more than any previous generation. The data do show that they spend much of their technology time developing a social life and an adolescent or young adult identity which is exactly what teens and young adutls should be doing. If the author claims that they are "dumb" then I think from all of my work that the author simply does not "get" this generation. It is a new generation, raised with technology from infancy, building their social relationships both online and offline, and harboring a very different attitude toward their careers. They are not lazy, nor do I see any evidence that they are dumb (although we do have some data concerning the impact of their use of language on English literacy but we are replicating those results as I speak). They are DIFFERENT and those differences appear to us, as Gen Xers or Baby Boomers, as laziness or lack of interest but in fact, they are part of a new lifestyle. The kids thrive on social experiences and communication and they are the ones to embrace new technologies and they will be the ones with the experience and knowhow to lead us into what I think Alvin Toffler would term a totally new wave of technology that none of us can anticipate. They value family and they strive to gain as much experience in their jobs as possible. If it appears that they jump from job to job (which they do), it is only because they are absolutely adamant about gaining the most knowledge and gathering the most skills in order to find a successful, motivating, and enhancing career. By the way, I talk about all of these issues, including generational differences in my book, Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation. More information can be found at www.Me-MySpace-and-I.com.

Thanks for "listening" and feel free to email me at [e-mail] if you have any questions about my work.

[Moortra]

First off I would say that I truly agree with UITD this generation is one selfishness, arrogance, and rudeness as well as stupidity. Second Irosen9999 of course this generation is using more technology because back in the 90s is when the real big surge in technology use was. Third the kids may be multitasking, but the problem is there multitasking on sometimes stupid things such as chat rooms or myspace just to name a few. Next you said they develope a social life and an identity online in all fairness what kind social life is that where you can't even see your friends or go do something when your whole social being is online or on the cell phone, and as for the identity you give anyone a computer and they can create a false identity of themselves. You say there not dumb when in fact they are not the sharpest knives in the drawer. Ther is also a part where you talk about social experiences really you can't have a social experience or a real social life if the people are not actually there with you not just instant messaging or texting.