In Grown Up Digital, Don Tapscott defines the Net Generation as people born between 1977 and 1997. That would be me, then, (barely), and, after years of research, Tapscott has discovered that I’m awesome. Research shows computer games have made me smart, and, although research also shows I’m no better at multitasking than older people, it sure would make sense if I were, now wouldn’t it? And just look at the online services I use. I’m on the Facebook and the YouTube and the Wikipedia, interacting with my peers in a paradigm shift of empowerment. I’m grrrrreat.

Why, thank you, mr. Tapscott. There’s always a market for telling your readers how smart they are. Malcom Gladwell’s latest book explained that to become an expert you need to practice for 10 000 hours. Want to bet it’s being recommended by people who have been doing their job or hobby for more than 10 000 hours?

In defining the “Net Gen”, Tapscott gives us valuable (and, from my perspective, fairly correct) insights into the values and habits of people who have grown up with the internet. He has done research, and that’s more than most who have commented on the subject.

On top of those insights, he builds a cloud of feelgood fluff that begs for a game of buzzword bingo. You had better not flinch at words like engage, mesh, web 2.0, revolutionize, paradigm, wisdom of crowds, and empower, because he uses them on every single page. The 120 pages I read, anyway.