According to AI, as a millennial, I straddle the line of being a digital native — but honestly, that doesn’t feel like it reflects me at all. I vividly remember having no internet at home well into the early 2000s, and that was completely normal. I genuinely don’t know how my kids would cope with that now.
We had a PC running good old Windows 98, but aside from a few games on floppy disks, it didn’t really do much. Probably because, even now, my parents have zero interest in anything digital. I’m not even sure why we had the computer in the first place. It just sort of sat there.
With a start like that, it’s not surprising that I didn’t exactly make the most of technology as a teenager. Beyond MSN Messenger or Xbox after school, I wasn’t doing anything particularly clever or creative online. By the time I got to Uni in 2014 for my BSc, I’d say I was digitally… average. I could navigate the internet, access online resources, submit assignments, and update a portfolio. That felt like enough.
Then I started my current role — and everything shifted. What I thought was average turned out to be far above the baseline. Suddenly, I was the person being asked how to fix things, how to set things up, how to make digital stuff… work. I somehow became “the tech person” (not a title I sought out — and honestly, I wouldn’t recommend chasing it either).
I don’t consider myself an expert by any stretch. But I’ve realised there are many strands to digital literacy. It’s not just about using tech — it’s about adapting to it, making it work for you, and helping others bridge the gap. Whether it’s booking holidays online in 2025 (yes Mum, that is an achievement), using social media with intention, experimenting with AI, or designing learning environments that actually function — the digital landscape is shifting fast.
And honestly? I’m not convinced academia is keeping up. Students are demanding more digital resourcefulness from their educators, and many of us are still working from a baseline that hasn’t moved in years.
Learners are different to yesterday’s. It’s our job to catch up…
Dean Walker 