Young people are different in many ways from their parents and grandparents at a similar age. These eight differences, or “norms”, are rooted in the different experience of today’s youth - especially with regard to their media diet. The norms are:

1 Freedom: When my generation graduated from college, we were grateful for that first job. We hung on to it like a life preserver. But times have changed. Kids see no reason to commit. High performers are on their fifth job by the time they are 27 and their average tenure at a job is 2.6 years. They revel in freedom.

2 Customisation: Net Geners get something and customise it to make it theirs. This is the generation that has grown up with personalised mobile phones, TiVo, Slingbox and podcasts. At work they will want to customise their jobs. Ideally, companies will replace job descriptions with work goals and give Net Geners the tools, latitude and guidance to get the job done.

3 Scrutiny: Given the large number of information sources on the web, not to mention unreliable information, today’s youth has the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction. Corporate strategies should be built on good products, good prices and good values.

4 Integrity: The stereotype that this generation doesn’t give a damn is not supported by the facts. Net Geners care about integrity. They expect other people to have integrity, too. They do not want to work for or buy a product from an organisation that is dishonest.

5 Collaboration: This is a relationship generation. They collaborate online in chat groups, play multi-user video games, use e-mail and share files for school, work and just for fun. They bring a culture of collaboration with them to work and the marketplace.

6 Entertainment: In the high-tech world, where employers put a premium on attracting the brightest Net Geners they can find, some workplaces look like playgrounds. For Net Geners, work should be fun. They see no clear dividing line between the two.

7 Speed: Having grown up digital, they expect speed – not just in video games. They are used to instant responses, 24/7. Corporations that are quick to respond to inquiries are praised and viewed as trustworthy.

8 Innovation: In the workplace, innovation means rejecting the traditional command-and-control hierarchy and devising work processes that encourage collaboration and creativity. Net Geners told us that an innovative work environment is perceived to be leading-edge, dynamic, creative and efficient. Not surprisingly, an innovative workplace is expected to have leading-edge technology.

- An edited extract taken from Grown Up Digital by Don Tapscott, McGraw Hill, £15.99

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