Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’? • Hacker News Board

Re: Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’?

#51

Post by CydeWeys » Mon, May 04, 2015, 8:35 PM UTC

Toast_ wrote: post #38

jldugger wrote: post #21

Digital natives do not exist in numbers you think. Fewer than 1 percent of entering freshmen have ever edited a wiki: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hghekXykt-k&feature=youtu.be... EDIT: Totally misremembered, its more like 17 percent.

Why would that even be a metric?

Editing a wiki is the kind of experience that is much more valuable to employers than social networking or most common online activities for most occupations, with the exception of marketing/PR-specific roles. Collaborative work on a wiki involves teamwork, research, editing, effective communication, and a whole host of other skills that are useful in a business setting. Blabbing to your friends on Facebook or Twitter doesn't develop these skills.

Re: Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’?

#52

Post by raverbashing » Mon, May 04, 2015, 8:35 PM UTC

TwiztidK wrote: post #35

jcadam wrote: post #13

I'm in my mid-30s, grew up tinkering/programming/etc., but I have to admit I just don't get social media. But then I'm not a very sociable person in general. My wife (not a techie), however, is all over facebook/pinterest/twitter/etc. doing God knows what while I'm coding all day. How I learned of the existence of Pinterest: Me: "Where did you say you posted that thing?" Wife (annoyed): "Pinterest" "Your what?" "Pint…

I'm in my early 20s and I'm in the same boat. Reddit/HN/Slashdot are the extent of my use of social media and a lot of my peers in college were the same. Hell, I know a handful of people who work at Facebook/Twitter/etc who didn't even have Facebook/Twitter/etc accounts when they were hired, some of them still don't.

I suspect that an FB account for Facebook is "Mandatory" (because a lot of work is done "inside" FB - think of it as their internal comm tool, but of course you don't need to use it to post pictures of your weekend)

Re: Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’?

#53

Post by rayiner » Mon, May 04, 2015, 8:35 PM UTC

raverbashing wrote: post #49

davesque wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a web page, sonny. Pretty much as simple as they were in '92.

The technology doesn't matter From Wikipedia "Social media are computer-mediated tools that allow people to create, share or exchange information, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks." (Someone added "Web 2.0" later there but it's immaterial. Well, HN lets you vote without refreshing the page, I guess that's "Web 2.0") The content is driven by users, either by creating (FB, Twitter) and/or…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system ("A bulletin board system, or BBS, is a computer server running custom software that allows users to connect to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, the user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging messages with other users through email, public message boards, and sometimes via direct chatting.")

HN is actually a fairly primitive BBS running over TCP/IP.

Re: Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’?

#54

Post by protomyth » Mon, May 04, 2015, 8:36 PM UTC

No, employers are not allowed to come up with a code word that allows them to exclusively hire younger people. Switch "digital native" with "millennial" and see how that fairs in court.

Also, I really resent the implication on this one, like many in this thread. I grew up with a computer and digital communications before the internet.

Re: Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’?

#55

Post by balls187 » Mon, May 04, 2015, 8:36 PM UTC

"Smart, talented, and can get the job done."

That's what I look for.

Also:

"Can they be coached?"

"Do they need coaching?"

"How is their personality?"

"How do they display passion?"

Re: Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’?

#56

Post by ichbinant » Mon, May 04, 2015, 8:36 PM UTC

When I hear "digital native", I think of a generation familiar with Snapchat, Instagram, Vine, etc... So they would -somehow- be more familiar with creating content for those platforms.

I don't think it's an age issue.

Or else how can you not call someone who has been in the IT business for 30 years a "digital native"?

It is about what part of that "digital" you are dealing with.

Re: Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’?

#57

Post by nosuchthing » Mon, May 04, 2015, 8:40 PM UTC

oh_sigh wrote: post #23

taprun wrote: post #4

The title is very misleading and an example of linkbait. It should be something like "Can Employers Request Traits That Older Folks Are Unlikely to Possess?"

Change "Unlikely" to "Cannot" and that sounds about right. You cannot become native in something after the critical period is over, no matter how good you are(this is by definition). The best you can be is "fluent" if you miss the critical period. For example, if you ask for a native English speaker to write a newsletter, Joseph Conrad would not fit the bill(since he started learning English at 21 years of age), even…

You're claiming there is a skill set or intuitive understanding that can't be learned once you pass age 21?

Re: Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’?

#58

Post by krick » Mon, May 04, 2015, 8:42 PM UTC

funkyy wrote: post #16

Is it OK for Employers to seek out employee they want? Yes, their business, their decision.

Totally agree.

But I think everyone (including the journalist in the first place) are missing the point again. The problem is, that "digital native" thing is absolutely meaningless. It's basically another ridiculous "ninja-rockstar" thing, in some sense. You can prove I'm not 20 years old, you can prove I am or am not qualified to do the job, you can prove I'm male/female, you can prove I'm white/black/dog/whale, whatever. But you can not prove I am or am not a "digital native". It's absolutely possible, that I never even saw a computer until the last week, and over the last week gained all the knowledge you want me to have, including all the historic background. In fact, without the strict definition what "digital native" is, all this discussion and job announcements containing this word are nonsense, and it seems that if somebody who cares would construct this definition, it would be unverifiable given the current information about the candidate and thus meaningless anyway.

Re: Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’?

#59

Post by mod » Mon, May 04, 2015, 8:42 PM UTC

davesque wrote: post #37

raverbashing wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh you don't get social media? You're using one right now.

This is a web page, sonny. Pretty much as simple as they were in '92.

So are FB & Twitter & Pinterest, old-timer!

Re: Is It OK for Employers to Seek Out ‘Digital Natives’?

#60

Post by scrollaway » Mon, May 04, 2015, 8:42 PM UTC

raverbashing wrote: post #30

jcadam wrote: post #13

I'm in my mid-30s, grew up tinkering/programming/etc., but I have to admit I just don't get social media. But then I'm not a very sociable person in general. My wife (not a techie), however, is all over facebook/pinterest/twitter/etc. doing God knows what while I'm coding all day. How I learned of the existence of Pinterest: Me: "Where did you say you posted that thing?" Wife (annoyed): "Pinterest" "Your what?" "Pint…

Oh you don't get social media? You're using one right now.

There's a massive difference between topic-centered, article-oriented forums and social-oriented "life walls", in which people are drawn to share their personal life and basically have an "online life hub".

One is centered around the topic, the other is centered around the person.