Smartphones are creating a generation of “next-pats.” A new study reports that those who use technology “lead more global, connected lives,” and researchers coined the term “next pat” to describe this emerging group that holds “transnational” outlooks like the belief you don’t have to come from the same country as someone to have a lot in common, and the feeling that technology keeps them connected to friends, family, and country, no matter where in the world they live.

Smartphones are creating a generation of “next-pats.” A new study reports that those who use technology “lead more global, connected lives,” and researchers coined the term “next pat” to describe this emerging group that holds “transnational” outlooks like the belief you don’t have to come from the same country as someone to have a lot in common, and the feeling that technology keeps them connected to friends, family, and country, no matter where in the world they live. (Fast Company)