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I'm looking for a word that could be used to describe someone as being comfortable with something (in this case technology) due to having grown up in a world with it. I know the term digital-native is thrown around a lot but am looking for something akin to this but in a single word.

I've also thought along the lines of 'familiar' but didn't quite seem to fit. Anyone else got any better ideas?

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  • I grew up on tech.
    – NVZ ♦
    Commented Apr 11, 2017 at 17:23
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    I take it technology specifically means digital technology to you (virtually everyone alive today grew up with technology far more advanced than existed when their parents were young). But it's worth noting that although there was virtually no such thing as digital technology when I was growing up back in the 50s/60s, I'd still tend to say it's second nature to me today. Simply because I started using such technology a long time ago, so I'm really used to it (even though it's sometimes a struggle to keep up these days! :)
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Apr 11, 2017 at 17:29
  • Tech-savvy. As another example: Farm-savvy.
    – aparente001
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 5:26

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I reckon there are more fitting words than these, but I'll carry on.

Without a specific reference to having grown up with something, you can be (or become) accustomed to [technology].

If [technology] pervaded your childhood to the extent that it is everywhere and all-around and is second nature to you, it has become accepted and incorporated into life, you can be said to have been indoctrinated into technology. The word basically means "brainwashed" or "conditioned" - but can be toyed with.

Conditioned might be worth a quick mention because it refers to "having a significant influence on or determine the manner or outcome of something."

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  • I feel this answer is still slightly off-the-mark and could be superseded. Who else got what?
    – PCARR
    Commented Apr 11, 2017 at 20:52
  • There's something about "native" that has the right ring to it, about being comfortable with something without even thinking about it--like growing up in the city vs. the country (and vv.). Inherent. Tech-native?
    – Xanne
    Commented Apr 12, 2017 at 0:13
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I would say the best fit single word is:

Technophile

A person who is enthusiastic about new technology.

(Oxford)

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  • Ah the fun of a perfectly fine (perhaps the best possible) answer getting down-voted is always... fun.
    – Gary
    Commented Apr 11, 2017 at 17:31
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    I'm over 60, and didn't grow up with digital technology, but I'm definitely a technophile. Come to that, I know several people under 25 who aren't particularly interested in it. That's to say I don't think this is a "perfectly fine answer" to the specific question as posed.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Apr 11, 2017 at 17:32
  • @FumbleFingers Great good for you. I hope your ego benefited where my ELU score ranking didn't :)
    – Gary
    Commented Apr 11, 2017 at 17:32

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