The Net Generation and Changes in Knowledge Acquisition

Abstract

This chapter uses a methodological approach to investigate research and design knowledge acquisition in the context of social software applications, an area cluttered by an ever-growing number of applications and high expectations about the capabilities of a new generation of young users, the Net Generation. Its objectives are twofold: to provide a rational point of departure for developing a research and design framework and to exemplify it for the use of social software in higher education. The chapter scrutinizes popular assumptions about the Net Generation, basing the framework on the interdependency of user audience and technology. The results of a longitudinal exploratory study for the area of social software use in higher education are presented. The final part of the chapter discusses implications for the design of learning environments and a number of ideas for further research on knowledge acquisition within the social software context.