Here’s a very interesting article on the “iGeneration” and a short snippet from it, identifying the major characteristics of the so-called iGeneration:

Increased media consumption: In anonymous online surveys, we asked about daily hours online and a number of activities, including music listening, video game playing, talking on the telephone, IMing and chatting, texting, sending and receiving e-mail, and watching television. While we computed a total score, we know that many of these activities are done simultaneously. Net Geners and older teens spend more than 20 hours per day using media and technology followed by younger teens who spend slightly more than 15 hours per day.

Multitasking: Older teens report doing the most multitasking; according to them, they perform nearly seven simultaneous tasks. In “Rewired,” I argue that they are not really doing them at the same time, but they are simply better task switchers. This constant multitasking among teens compares with six and a half simultaneous activities for younger teens and six for Net Geners. Baby boomers like me report being able to do about four and a half things at the same time.

E-communication: Baby boomers prefer face-to-face or telephone communication along with e-mail. Gen Xers embrace cell phones, e-mail and instant messaging. It is with the Net Generation that different communication approaches emerge, including social networks, IMing, Skyping and texting. But it’s the iGeneration that is rapidly redefining digital communication. To them, a phone is not a phone. It is a computer (or likely soon to be a tablet) that they use to tweet, Facebook and, of course, text, text, text. For them, peer relationships are all about connecting by any electronic means. To them, WWW stands for whatever, whenever and wherever.

Socializing: The two recent mini-generations are more technologically social than any that came before them. For them, connecting is what digital technology was invented to do. They built MySpace and Facebook; nearly every one of them has a page on one or both. Upward of two hours each day are spent connecting online with their community of friends, whether they are RL (real life) or SL (screen life) friends. (In 2009, “unfriend” was the word of the year added to the New Oxford American Dictionary.)

Creativity: They make their own YouTube videos, post photos, mash up music, create multimedia presentations, and develop personalized content. In their eyes, the “i” in iGeneration stands for “individualized.” iGeners have their own iPhone apps, their own song mixes, and have forced developers to mine their products for personalized applications.

Writing: Some argue that LOL, JK, and OMG are symptoms of an illiterate generation of teen texters. Research is showing that isn’t true. This generation writes more than any other and whether it is text-based writing or formal writing, it is still writing. And writing begets writing. Interestingly, they also read more, particularly if you expand the concept of reading to include online content rather than just books in print.

Motivation: iGen teens are highly motivated, as evidenced by the content that they post daily online. They are not, as some people have asserted, lazy. In contrast, other generations—particularly baby boomers and Gen Xers—are as interested in process as they are in product. Young adults and teenagers hate meeting to discuss how they are proceeding; if forced to meet in person, they’ll usually pull out their Blackberries and iPhones so they can multitask. They do not like interim deadlines and prefer to be held accountable for the entire project executed well and on time. They thrive on positive reinforcement for their completed work, but tend to downplay praise for subproducts along the way. From all of my research, as long as adults let teens work on their time schedule, using high-tech tools they prefer, teachers and employers will most often find that iGeners and Net Geners will come up with an excellent final product.