Research Commentary—Digital Natives and Ubiquitous Information Systems

Abstract

Most information systems research until now has focused on information systems in organizations and their use by digital immigrants. Digital immigrants are those who were not born into the digital world—they learnt to use information systems at some stage in their adult lives. An underlying assumption of much of this research is that users “resist” technology or at least have some difficulty in accepting it. Digital natives, conversely, are those who have grown up in a world where the use of information and communications technology is pervasive and ubiquitous. These ubiquitous technologies, networks, and associated systems have proliferated and have woven themselves into the very fabric of everyday life. This article suggests that the rise of the digital native, along with the growth of ubiquitous information systems (UIS), potentially represents a fundamental shift in our “paradigm” for IS research. We propose a research agenda that focuses on digital natives and UIS.