Learning Theories and the Digital Generation

I have been reading a lot about learning theories and for the most part it is interesting. I keep wondering how this generation of students (k-12) are growing up in a digital world and how that has changed the way people learn? Many teenagers use IM to communicate with their friends and handle 5, 8, 10 or more converstaions at one time. I don't like using IM myself and can only handle 1 or two conversations at a time. A lot of teenagers listen to music and/or tv while studying. I always used to think a quiet environment was best but surprisingly it can be distracting for some students who need some noise on to study. It makes sense when you think about selective attention. By having their MP3 players on and listening to tunes some students can concentrate on their studies even better because the music helps keep them focussed by elimanating other distractions and by listening to music they block everything out and can concetrate on their work. Is this the digital learner that our society is breeding?