I saw a cartoon the other day of a father and son talking at the kitchen table that read with the father saying, “You do my website and I’ll do your homework.” It made me laugh, probably because it’s so true in today’s digital world. It’d be easier for the child to create a website in an evening than complete his Algebra homework. Unless of course there’s an app for that.

That’s the difference between digital immigrants and digital natives.

It’s not just about skills. Digital natives have a completely different mindset than digital immigrants. They grew up in technology infused world. They would never consider getting a land line. They prefer Hulu and Netflix over watching cable TV. They usePandora and TuneIn over a laptop or with a home music server like Sonos, which brings all music to every room – wirelessly. They get their news on Twitter and in not the way the digital immigrant thinks.

Digital natives have blended their online life with their offline life.

A different mindset
Digital natives did not see the birth of the modern day Internet. They weren’t born yet and today, they cannot imagine a world without it. “Hyper-connectivity,” as I like to call it and will talk more about in a future post, has become such a part of their daily lives.

Today, it may be possible to avoid the digital takeover. But that won’t last as the digital native population grows and the market responds. The media and communication tools the majority of people rely on will become obsolete.

It is already changing the business world. On our sales teams, I see digital natives texting and Facebooking their customers while digital immigrants rely on phone calls and visits. They both are getting results.

Digital natives are using Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and other online sources to research their prospects and know a great deal about the individuals before they ever make a contact. Digital immigrants, on the other hand, either don’t know or rely on talking to others to get some snippets of information.

There are varying types of digital immigrants and the title does not have to mean “inept.” Typically, digital immigrants fit in one of three categories: avoider, reluctant adopter and eager adopter.

Thinking like a native
I am a digital immigrant. But my passion for technology has helped migrate to a digital native mentality and became an eager adopter. Today, as CIO of Marco, I focus on helping our customers effectively apply technology. That requires me to “think like a digital native.” Other digital immigrants can do the same.

So, how to start "thinking like a digital native?” The answer is not as simple as buying a smartphone or carrying the latest gadgets. Remember it’s about skills, but rather how you use them. 

Start watching the digital natives you see at work and at home. Pay attention to how they solve problems. Don’t just watch what they do, but focus on why. It’s a social experiment that is well worth the investment. Then, start embracing piece by piece.