Visitors/Residents/Resident Visitor/Visitor Resident?
Greetings everyone.
I liked White and McCormu's ideas of Visitors and Residents; how we could be visitors/residents of the same tool depending on time and space. I am curious how will I be placed; I have an account on LinkedIn, I visit the app almost everyday, read others' posts, like them/comment on them, but I hardly post. I don't seem to be a visitor, I am resident, but an non-participating resident or a low-participating resident? Should there be more nuances to the terms "visitors" and "residents"? The concept of a "sliding scale" perhaps seems appropriate here.
White's equation of language and digital natives/immigrants is also an interesting one. I wonder here, with constantly evolving technology, can a native be a native forever? There might always be something the native might not be aware of; s/he is new to it and the immigrant and native have the same start line when it comes to this change in technology. In this context, the idea of "learning literacies" made sense.
Thank you for reading my post,
Smruti.
Smruti, I agree with you and it both is rather interesting concepts. I have not come across these terms before and it has made me reflect on my own use of social media platforms and linking work and personal life.
I engages in LinkedIn, by making comments and occasionally post or make comments. What I have been trying at the same time is becoming more 'human' throughout my posts and reflect real life, real education. When I read posts within my area of interests, it can sometimes feel so formal and academic, that the people I am trying to reach might disengage if I posted in the same tone or manner.
I feel I need more time to reflect on the concept of visitor and resident and see how it fits my own narrative.
Celine
The idea of a 'digital native' comes with expectation that the person can use technology effectively and proficiently. This misconception has been debunked many times.
The shift to visitor/resident, while possibly less misleading, is still dividing people into two types (even with acknowledgement of a scale). People's technological abilities, access to technology and use of technology vary so greatly that we should never assume that 'young people are good with all technology'. If anything, it has been proven that GenZ have fewer digital skills useful for employment vs Millennials.
As Smruti said, technology changes all the time and it takes conscious and dedicated effort to keep up with it. People's needs change, and the idea of 'living online' certainly doesn't apply to all who might be described as 'digital natives'.
This also greatly varies across the world, where access to technology may be limited.
Hello everyone
I agree that age definitely has no bearing on technical or digital capabilities.
The visitor and resident model does seem to be very generalised, but is probably the best fit to explain current trends in terms of online presence.
I don't really have much of a social presence online, so I guess I would be mostly a visitor, not through inability but choice. I do have a Facebook account, which I do use regularly, but only for friends and family, a resident? not sure about that. I also have a LinkedIn account, but I don't use it, again a visitor.
I guess its all a matter of choice as well as competency. I just choose not to for personal use. If it is for work then this would be different, I would use the platforms regularly if needed. so maybe I am a visitor, but definitely not an immigrant.
I agree, and I think also there is a level of flex or change that needs to be included, not only in terms of new technology but also of life events changing if someone is a native or visitor - for example illness or owned technology levels changing, which leads to a loss of 'residency' in this term but I think needs more clarity if that 'counts'.
Hi, it is an interesting concept. I really like the recognition of a spectrum in both directions.
I am reminded of a friend who is an engineer, programming industrial machinery, and who appear to have great knowledge of computers, but when it came to the more mundane social media, or even spreadsheets and word documents he had little knowledge. As I am writing this I realise he does fit into this, he is a 'Resident' "institutionally" and a "Visitor Personally"
And I lean strongly towards resident in both.
Loving the collective input! :)
My two cents on the topic:
In my opinion, the digital visitors and residents is a good alternative model to the digital natives and immigrants theory. I’m also in agreement that life stages should not be a strong factor with how we engage with technology, particularly, in this topic: the internet. Just as White suggested in his video, our behaviour on the web is not meant to be placed in fixed categories but in a continuum where our motivation for engagement varies. In example, whilst I am quite confident in my technical skills and can pick up software/social media apps easily, my mum still uses social media apps like YouTube and TikTok more than I do. That said, her use (and mine as well) of those apps is still of varying degrees and shifts from time to time 😀 Simply put, it all boils down to lifestyle choices and necessities.
I like the terms resident/visitor distinction as is it doesn't put us into one camp or the either, but more splits out the reason for us going online - where we're going for a specific purpose (shopping, practical advice etc) or to seek interaction with another individual or group - our identity shifts due to our needs.
I think the terms resident and visitor and the fact that they are based on the model being a continuum feels an accurate way of categorising and describing how people interact with the web.I think that measuring online presence by how much someone posts isn't a true depiction as lots of people are residents online and yet rarely post or comment (me being one of them).
On a general note, I think humanity hasn't yet got to grips with the idea of how to interact with the internet- with the idea of an online persona and 'real persona' and the lines are blurred with sometimes disastrous consequences. I think the old idea that the internet isn't 'real life' is slowly fading and in time we won't be able to tell the difference between a 'real' persona and 'an internet' persona
It's great to see the discussion on this one.
I had never heard of the visitors and residents sliding scale by White and Le Cornu but I'm glad to see it as I don't believe the natives/immigrants theory works very well. I have experience of interacting with students who would be classed as digital natives, and while they might be good interacting with Instagram, they don't have the skills to search the web effectively, essentially digital literacy skills. The assumption that digital natives automatically come into education with these skills is misplaced.
I think that the visitors / residents scale can depend on context, as Richard says in his post above - it "splits out the reason for us going online - where we're going for a specific purpose (shopping, practical advice etc) or to seek interaction with another individual or group - our identity shifts due to our needs". In truth, I became more of a resident because of new areas added to my role; I had input into the social media channels in the library at my previous institution; I don't believe that I would have been as resident on those platforms otherwise.
Martin Weller gets into this on his Podcast and Blog
Interesting discussion. I am in agreement with the consensus here. Worth a listen or read....
Weller, M. (2023) Metaphors of Ed Tech: Digital Natives and Uber for Education [Podcast]. 23 February. Available at: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/martin-weller/episodes/Digital-natives-and-Uber-for-Education-e1v0j05/a-a58f19. (Accessed: 15 February 2025).
Weller, M. (2012) ‘The cost of good bad ideas', The ED Techie, 08 February. Available at: https://blog.edtechie.net/higher-ed/the-cost-of-good-bad-ideas/ (Accessed: 20 February 2025).
Weller, M. (2015) ‘The pseudo digital-natives argument', The ED Techie, 10 September. Available at: https://blog.edtechie.net/digital-implications/the-pseudo-digital-natives-argument/ (Accessed: 20 February 2025).
From a digital identity point of view, digital residents are the ones who build a solid and recognizable identity online, one that may or may not be intentional. They live a portion of their life online and build a social like in the web, which may involve being part of communities and groups. In general, digital residency involves a more active presence and engagement in digital spaces.
My understanding of David White’s continuum of online visitor and resident is that a H880 learner who occasionally checks their online course materials can be considered a visitor, whereas a H880 learner who actively participates in online discussions and contributes to the course forum would be regarded as a resident.
Natives
I wonder here, with constantly evolving technology, can a native be a native forever?
i like this concept can you be a native forever, as technology is always evolving will you be a native in certain concepts but an immigrant in others, can you have both titles.
got at word but not at C++ coding
A blend of both
When I think about myself as a person who was not born at a time when digital technology burst onto the scene. However, I was still quite young when it became a thing that making the switch was very easy.
If I must say, I can easily sweep the younger generation under the table with my adeptness of digital technology. I see myself utilising it somewhere in the middle.
I feel that the terms 'visitors' and 'residents' by Dave White could eventually lead to a third, or new hybrid concept.