After my initial Digital Natives blog, I got a lot of feedback from friends and family and readers about the term and who falls under which heading! (Thanks for reading!!) My favorite piece of feedback came from my cousin who wasn’t a big fan of the term Digital Immigrant – which is the official term for those who don’t fall under the ‘digital native’ heading. Defining himself as a Digital Legacy, I started to really break down the meaning of that phrase and why it may be a better indication of the skillset he represents.

[tweetthis]Why you may want to add Digital Legacies to your job descriptions.[/tweetthis]

Digital Native vs. Digital Legacy

So what is a “Digital Legacy”? I would define a Digital Legacy as someone who is more focused on single tasks (rather than preferring tons of tasks and ideas thrown at them all at once like a Digital Native might) and sequential thinking. More of a planner than a creative thinker, and more “book smart” than “tech smart” like their younger counterparts the Digital Natives. Are you still with me?

Having not grown up with Internet and computers in your home does not mean skills can’t be learned. In fact, for those that didn’t grow up with this ‘advantage’ there is an expectation to not only learn, but also fully understand the technology that is being used. By observing and adopting new technology over and over again, as the Internet and computers have developed, these legacies may be a host of information and background that natives may be lacking. Knowing the back end of how technology works gives legacies a leg up on natives who just know how to use the front-end. For example, there was a time when working on cars was not just a hobby or a career, but a necessity in car ownership. For those who grew up changing their own oil or changing spark plugs – or even replacing major components, they have a better understanding of the inner workings of their car, which makes it easier to diagnose the “weird sound” it suddenly started making.

Personally, I will admit, I take my car for granted and haven’t spent a ton of time learning how it works (– beyond put gas in it and keep up on the required maintenance which involves simply taking the car to Jiffy Lube or the dealership!) In fact, as a digital native, I would say I probably take technology for granted as well. I can work with most computer software and systems pretty easily – it’s not a foreign concept, but the minute an error message pops up – Forget it! I’ll even admit, in my personal life, when things go wrong on my computer, more often than not, I’m turning to a Digital Legacy to help me trouble shoot! Granted, not everyone who grew up with technology would identify themselves as a digital native, nor everyone who grew up before that time period consider themselves a digital immigrant/legacy, and we could hope that people operate with a certain level of self-awareness about this topic. Yes – I realize that may be asking a lot! So that’s why it’s important to really consider your screening tactics when hiring an individual where technology is truly critical! Nonetheless, to avoid the issue of discrimination as discussed in my previous blog, you may want to include Digital Legacies – with their depths of information – to your job descriptions. (I’d also recommend Digital Legacy over Digital Immigrant, because to me, it sounds a lot less abrasive!)