We really are a special generation.

Although we are frequently narcissistic (see Ridiculously Good-Looking), wasteful (see Waste Audit), and, quite frankly, mediocre (see Mediocre Generation), there is something that sets us apart from all others: Every generation that came before us has a collective memory of life before computers; every generation after us will not. Straddling the line, we really are in a unique position.

True, it’s hardly anything we can take credit for. We have only our parents to thank for giving birth to us within the particular 14-year period which qualified us for inclusion in “Generation Me” (see Me Generation). Still, it’s an interesting and noteworthy generation to be a part of.

Consider this: We are the first generation of digital natives. However adept the generations before us may train themselves to be with computers, they are simply not equipped with the same intuitive knowledge that we are. They are digital immigrants; cyberspace is not their homeland. Try as they might, they will never fully understand what it is that we are doing in this strange, intangible landscape—even as they themselves help to shape it.

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure that anyone has a grasp on this. Is it significant that my first instinct upon being introduced to someone is to go home and check out their Facebook profile? Probably. Does it matter that I spend more time in one week reading Digg and Reddit than the combined amount of time I have probably ever devoted to reading physical newspapers? Likely. Is it important that I reach for my phone to check my e-mail even before I brush my teeth in the morning? I can’t help but feel that the answer is yes. Do I have any proof of this? Absolutely not.

We could be doing something revolutionary, forever changing the way that human beings connect and interact each other. Or we could just be full of ourselves, and wasting our time, resources, and brainpower. I really don’t know. If there’s any group that is qualified to figure that out, though—and continue pushing ourselves down the path we’re on, or stopping ourselves before it’s too late—it has to be us.

We are a special generation, after all.