Elon University / Pew Internet Project report on Millennial's Cognition

A new 36 page report from Elon University and the Pew Internet and American Life Project (http://www.elon.edu/e-web/predictions/expertsurveys/2012survey/) states that the Millennial Generation (born between 1982 and 2002) will both "benefit and suffer due to their hyperconnected lives".
The groups surveyed over 1,000 thought leaders (and critics) from industry, government, and education, and asked them to consider how exposure to the Internet and digital media are changing the cognitive functioning of today's students. The results showed a fairly even split between positive and negative opinions.
Earlier work by Pew had shown that 95% of teens ages 12-17 are online, as are 96% of those ages 18-29. Given that level of penetration, the participants were asked to consider possible scenarios for 2020 based on the statement "In 2020, the brains of multitasking teens and young adults are 'wired' differently from those over age 35". Two major themes surfaced:

• constantly connected teens and young adults will thirst for instant gratification and often make quick, shallow choices
• major education reform is required to emphasize new skills and literacies to better prepare students for the world they will live in

Some of major skills needed for future success were determined to be:

• public problem-solving through cooperative work (crowd-sourcing);
• the ability to search effectively for information online and to be able to discern the quality and veracity of that information, and then communicate these findings well (digital literacy); 
• being able to bring together details from many sources (synthesizing); 
• ability to concentrate; 
• the ability to distinguish between the "noise" and the message in the ever-growing sea of information

One of the most telling quotes comes from Microsoft researcher and teen expert danah boyd (yes, no caps) about what may be the next social divide:

"Concentrated focus takes discipline, but it's not something everyone needs to do," she wrote, "unfortunately, it is what is expected of much of the working-class labor force. I suspect we're going to see an increased class division around labor and skills and attention."

The web introduction to the report echos that concern:

"There is a palpable concern among these experts that new social and economic divisions will emerge as those who are motivated and well-schooled reap rewards that are not matched by those who fail to master new media and tech literacies.