Digital Visitors and Residents are a simple way of describing how different individuals use the world wide web. This theory is useful in helping us understand why individuals use the web. Pensky firstly divided users by those who were ‘digital immigrants’ and ‘digital natives’ [1]
VISITORS
- Visitors use the Web as a tool to carry out a function or complete a task
- A digital resident is a person who lives a part of their life online, they are usually a part of a Web community that accommodates relationships and where they can display their online persona (White, 2008). [2]
- “We propose that visitors understand the web as akin to an untidy garden tool shed. They have defined a goal or task and go into the shed to select an appropriate tool which they use to attain their goal. Task over, the tool is returned to the shed. It may not have been perfect for the task, but they are happy to make do so long as some progress is made.”
(White & Cornu 2011) [3]
RESIDENTS
- Those operating in the Resident mode are online to connect with, or be with other people
- ” Residents are happy to go online simply to spend time with others and they are likely to consider that they ‘belong’ to a community which is located in the virtual. They have a profile in social networking platforms such as Facebook or Twitter and are comfortable expressing their persona in these online spaces” (White & Cornu 2011) [3]
Pensky also created a Visitor-Resident map which is used to show the range of possible ways of which individuals now have available to them through the web.
I have created a map to illustrate my personal use of the web below:
Even though the theory of digital residents seems to be dead, it is still accepted by some.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1. On the Horizon, [online] 9(5), pp.1-6. Available at: https://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf [1]
White, D., 2011. Not ‘Natives’ & ‘Immigrants’ but ‘Visitors’ & ‘Residents’. [Online]
Available at: http://tallblog.conted.ox.ac.uk/index.php/2008/07/23/not-natives-immigrants-but-visitors-residents/
[Accessed 9 February 2018].
White and Le Cornu (2011). Visitors and Residents: A new Typology for Online Engagement Available at: http://firstmonday.org/article/view/3171/3049 [2]
Chloe's Blog 
Hi!
I really enjoyed reading your blog. I like your use of videos, an inforgraphic, and your own drawing of your web usage.
I particularly like how you compare digital natives and digital immigrants side-by-side making it really clear what the distinctions are between the two groups of users.
However, do you think that the recent notions of digital resident and digital visitor are reductionist in terms of how people are classified as one or the other? How do yo think these definitions could be improved in order to fit, for example, a grandparent who makes use of an iPhone to read the news?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts 🙂
Carl.
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Hi Carl,
Thanks for the feedback! I am glad you enjoyed reading my blog.
I definitely think that these categories are reductionist and believe that there is room for another category for people who have tendencies to act as both of these at different moments in time.
On the other hand, I would suggest that a spectrum could be used instead of these categories. Visitor could be at one and and resident at the other. People could then identify where they would be along this. For your example of a grandparent using an iPhone to read the news, I would presume that they would then be nearer the visitor end but not classed solely as a visitor.
I hope this answers your question!
Chloe
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