Generation Web

Author: Laura Bader

David de Rothschild, founder of "Adventure Ecology", an independently run organisation that uses adventure, education and the arts to address global sustainability issues, interviews Tom Varsavsky, a 14 year old boy, about his online habits.

One of the most important things he does on the internet, Tom says, is instant messaging. "E-Mail is more like work. IM is cool!" His dream: Owning all technical gadgets: "A laptop, a computer at home, a mobile phone..."
And what about his communication? "Most of it runs over the web. My favorites: Facebook and IM."
Remarkably: "I definitely have more Facebook-friends than friends in real life" Tom says.

David wants to know which company Tom would like to take over? "Microsoft" answers Tom. "And then end up like Bill Gates!" Apple, he says, is cooler than a PC for everything but gaming. But then, gaming is this really important application...

And advertisements? "Ads are so annoying!" Tom says. "Especially if they show up right in the middle of a page or during a video. Plus: They are always so irrelevant!"

"Tom, how much time do you spend in front of a computer?" David wants to know. "Three or four hours a day!" What is he doing? "Watching TV shows, gaming, talk to friends on Facebook and IM." But: "I don't really create my own stuff, I only upload pictures, and sometimes feed my blog."

A woman in the audience is curious: "Is the web activity of a person affecting his coolness factor?" "Well", Tom answers honestly, "I would definitely find it kinda weird if a person would come new to our school, for example, and is not on Facebook. Because every single person I know is on Facebook."

 

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