Reaching the Net Gen.

Socioeconomic skewing Opening keynote speaker John Palfrey (faculty codirector, Berkman Institute for Internet and Society; professor, Harvard Law School; and coauthor of Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives ) warned that "one [wrong] perception...is that all young people use technology in the same way and that adults don't use technology." The information tap Within the young, tech-aware group, Palfrey pointed out certain concrete and distinct patterns of information-seeking behavior that signal real change. Because members of this group see their digital identity as merged with their total identity in a "converged environment," they can toggle easily between physical and virtual interactions. According to Rowlands, they have become accustomed to turning the information tap on when they need it but lack a clear understanding or mental map of how the systems function.