ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses first the existing literature on the so-called “Digital Natives” in Japan and introduces readers to some of the more well-known concepts and categories that have been proposed therein. It then proceeds to cover some of the differences in the everyday treatment of computer technology between Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, Digital Settlers and Digital Strangers, before giving a detailed account of how the specific uses and functions among Digital Natives have resulted in a new culture where lightness, mobility and compactness are supreme. Place and time are no longer relevant, but that does not mean an absence of rules. Digital Natives are characterized by new social practices and body senses that manifest in a wide number of settings, from socializing with friends to job-hunting activities.
