3 generations of Net users

It's hard to get teenagers to reflect out loud on their experiences on the Net, because - to them - being online is like breathingsays one expert. And yet, says another, "they're not naturally good at using the technology." They work at it, put a lot of time into it, the latter, Susannah Stern, a youth-Internet-culture researcher at the University of San Diego, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune - especially kids who develop their own Web sites, play online games, use technologies as creative tools. Because this is contrary to what a lot of grownups (who are less familiar with tech than their kids), think, this is worth highlighting. It's at the tail-end of a thoughtful look at three generations' approach to tech and the Net at the Star Tribune. "As this wired generation enters adulthood, the impact of growing up Web-savvy will have far-reaching implications, experts say. The Wired Generation will be better equipped than their parents to monitor their own children's computer use. Their social networks will not be bound by geography as much as their parents' and grandparents'. They will have easier access to all kinds of information."