The seminal work of Prensky on "digital natives" and "digital wisdom" is used to launch a broader discussion on the relations between electronic communication, higher education, and popular and elite culture. Prensky's critics commonly contrast his polarisations and generational divisions with a more complex picture of types of engagement with electronic communication. However, their own approaches can also be seen as implying a number of less obvious but still important issues about education and culture. Having restored complexity to those areas too, the discussion ends with a consideration of practices in university teaching which attempt to manage complexity for educational purposes, and develop the more positive sides of electronic technology.