Influence of Evolving Technology in Emerging Online Lives of the Digital Native University Students

Evolving technological advancement and emerging digital environments have permeated and changed the lives of young people, commonly known as digital natives, globally. The students of today have spent a good part of their lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, smart phones, and similar tools of the digital age. As such, they are more comfortable in the midst of their smart phones, tablets and netbooks as compared with textbooks and lecture notes. This study delves further into students' technological activities and intends to study the influence of evolving technology in the emerging online lives of the digital native university students at a University in Fiji. A survey research design using a Likert type scale was implemented and the data was analysed using SPSS and discussed using a thematic approach. Findings reveal that young digital native university students were born in the digital age and have grown up appreciating the power of digital connectedness at a massive rate in their daily lives. Findings also have implications for pedagogy and practice as traditional approaches to teaching can be met with resistance and scepticism by the millennials. This paper recommends that since digital natives are technologically savvy, technological tools could be used to enhance digital literacy and numeracy leading towards a vibrant digital economy.