There are of course many digital divides, including the age divide (which may be artificial). Marc Prensky talks about the divide between the behaviour of digital immigrants and digital natives (and perhaps a little disparagingly, about those who never use technology - his term for these is 'the analogues'). I notice the divide between what I can do with technology and what my kids do with it and it can be quite marked. I can see we have different minds sets, and distinctly different relationships with digital technology. This is probably due to exposure to new media as much as it is to do with age, or a generational divide. So I decided to write a poem about it, specially for this wiki. Here's my slam (it's not true of course, but it is presented in the form of a Limerick). I hope you enjoy it.

Hooked

I’m a digital immigrant, me
And the digital natives will be
Forever a stigma
Wrapped up in enigma
And shrouded in deep mystery

When he got his Nintendo DS
My son was so quickly impressed
He linked with his buddies
And soon the young hoodies
Were wirelessly hooked (more or less)

Over time, his Nintendo obsession
Dragged us down to the depths of depression
Each attempt to suggest
A change or a rest
Was met with a wave of aggression

A Dad-imposed mandatory ban
Merely caused him to ‘go underground’
Soon we had to agree
The Nintendo would need to be
Surgically removed from his hand

I decided to check the Nintendo
And I slowly worked up to crescendo
Then it hooked me as well
And I soon looked like hell
I won’t even try to pretend-o

The brain training software was great
And I found myself staying up late
But I’ve now had my fill
And feel over the hill
With a brain age of 78

Steve Wheeler

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