net gen

I'm reading this article -- Is It Age or IT: First Steps Toward Understanding the Net Generation -- in preparation for the "technology in the classroom" workshop I'm taking next week on campus. (There's a $200 stipend!) I'm not sure what I think about these generational arguments regarding technology. What purpose do they serve besides saying, if you were born into a computer age, you're just going to be more familiar with computers than people who grew up with paper? This one line I find funny, though, because this past year especially, I've noticed I've become this kind of person: "Consistent with the multitasking found in older students, it is the norm for children and teenagers to be online while simultaneously watching TV, talking on the phone, or listening to the radio." But see what I mean about the generational argument? It seems to infantilize me, a 30-year-old who does this.