The Death of the Net Generation has Been Greatly Exaggerated :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

The Death of the Net Generation has Been Greatly Exaggerated America's youngest generation, the "Net Generation", is not destined to become the sex-addicted, morally bankrupt, heroin-overdosing generation that many media types have forecasted it will be. As a member of this "Net Generation", or an N-Gener, I know first hand what the values of my generation are, and I know what the future may hold. It is in this respect that I agree with the author of Growing Up Digital, Don Tapscott. Despite the vast array of negative uses for the Internet, there is an equal upside to this form of communication that gives me great hope and confidence in the Net Generation. Tapscott describes the changing ways that N-Geners think, and he sums them up in three points. N-Geners have a greater acceptance for diversity, are a curious generation, and have great self-reliance and assertiveness. If this is truly the way minds are changing, I'm happy to be a part of it. Since there is no way to tell who people are when they're online, people have to be accepted for who they are. As the author said, "You may be [something] else...like an inanimate object. The fact that you're communicating with a toaster is not important--it's what the toaster has to say" (Tapscott, p. 86). N-Geners learn to think about what a person says oftentimes without knowing who said it, thus eliminating any possible bias. N-Geners' being a curious generation is perhaps easier to understand. The Internet is a completely new and ever-changing world, creating endless possibilities for exploration. This vast world of information has proven inviting to kids, making the new generation a curious one. Self-reliance and assertiveness are other important qualities gained from the Net. There are web sites for all sorts of purposes, from fantasy football to free speech. The latter gives an interesting example of how methods of assertiveness have evolved. These web sites are "the digital equivalent of the 1960s petition" (Tapscott, p. 87). In other words, the ideals haven't changed drastically from 1960 to Y2K, just the methods of expression (and on another level, the ease of expression). Internet-based self-reliance comes from the independent nature of the computer. It is a single console designed for use by a single person. When on the Internet, people decide where to go and what to do entirely on their own, and that idea has been firmly engrained in the minds of N-Geners.