5 ms·

Are you sure this is a millennial/gen z problem and not just a techie/non techie one? Because this a really broad extrapolation.

nine_k 5y ago
One has a hard time becoming a techie when all technology is indistinguishable from magic, sleek and impenetrable.
vladvasiliu 5y ago
I get the feeling you are right. I remember when I was kid during the late 90s and early 2000s, when these "unpolished" systems were the norm. A lot of my peers were starting to use them, but just like kids today, they didn't really look into how things worked, they weren't really curious about them, they didn't really tinker with them. They wouldn't go and update / rollback a driver. They would just complain if things didn't work, and maybe asked a "geek" friend for help. Today, if a random game doesn't work, people will just try the next one.
- Tarsul 5y ago
  yes, not too many people tinkered with their computers then. But the real question is: how many of those who tinkered then, would tinker now if they were born in the 00s? Probably less then if they were born in the 80s, just because e.g. ipads or smartphones are not to be tinkered with. I mean many pupils have problems just working at a laptop (e.g. understanding the file system) because they never did it at home where all they might know are smartphones. So there definitely is a very different technological structure today than back then.
  - vladvasiliu 5y ago
    That's true, the way "technology" is set up now, with locked-down tablets and phones may be less conducive to tinkering. But then again, computers, in general, are much more affordable. So if people are curious, it's much easier to get their hands on a computer, and there's less risk. When I was growing up, a PC was a fairly consequential purchase for my family, and they couldn't afford to buy a new one very often. There was a lot of pressure to "not break it". Of course, looking things up a bit and getting help from my father and friends, I was able to figure out that "messing with drivers" would likely not break it physically. But I understand this could have been limiting for people not having someone to guide them. There's also the fact that today much more people have access to "computing", so if the part of the population interested in tinkering is roughly the same in absolute terms, the ratio between those who tinker and those who don't is skewed in favor of those who don't.
  - spideymans 5y ago
    These people might not be tinkering with iPads or iPhone, but web development has infinite possibilities and a very low barrier to entry (you only need a computer with a web browser). Anyone interested in code will find a way to scratch that itch.
cblconfederate 5y ago
i m sure ease of tech has to do with it. In the 80s, lawyers would use SQL -- because that was the state of tech at the time. Problems that are out of sight are out of mind. btw there is no such thing as techie anymore - everyone is into tech, there are very very few luddites left. There's a tendency of UI designers to infantilize their designs , but i m not sure that's based on actual measurable improvement or a certain "contempt" for the end user.
inamiyar 5y ago
Agree
sudosteph 5y ago
In this case, I really don't think they're very different. I ended up in tech, but I didn't consider myself a techie at their age. I could do the stuff I mentioned, but pretty much everyone in my peer group could - and most of us did not end up going into tech. In some ways, they're more advanced (one of them used to play some tablet game that basically used programming concepts - though he's never touched real code or applied anything outside of roblox to my knowledge).

nine_k 5y ago

One has a hard time becoming a techie when all technology is indistinguishable from magic, sleek and impenetrable.

vladvasiliu 5y ago

I get the feeling you are right. I remember when I was kid during the late 90s and early 2000s, when these "unpolished" systems were the norm. A lot of my peers were starting to use them, but just like kids today, they didn't really look into how things worked, they weren't really curious about them, they didn't really tinker with them. They wouldn't go and update / rollback a driver. They would just complain if things didn't work, and maybe asked a "geek" friend for help. Today, if a random game doesn't work, people will just try the next one.

Tarsul 5y ago
yes, not too many people tinkered with their computers then. But the real question is: how many of those who tinkered then, would tinker now if they were born in the 00s? Probably less then if they were born in the 80s, just because e.g. ipads or smartphones are not to be tinkered with. I mean many pupils have problems just working at a laptop (e.g. understanding the file system) because they never did it at home where all they might know are smartphones. So there definitely is a very different technological structure today than back then.
- vladvasiliu 5y ago
  That's true, the way "technology" is set up now, with locked-down tablets and phones may be less conducive to tinkering. But then again, computers, in general, are much more affordable. So if people are curious, it's much easier to get their hands on a computer, and there's less risk. When I was growing up, a PC was a fairly consequential purchase for my family, and they couldn't afford to buy a new one very often. There was a lot of pressure to "not break it". Of course, looking things up a bit and getting help from my father and friends, I was able to figure out that "messing with drivers" would likely not break it physically. But I understand this could have been limiting for people not having someone to guide them. There's also the fact that today much more people have access to "computing", so if the part of the population interested in tinkering is roughly the same in absolute terms, the ratio between those who tinker and those who don't is skewed in favor of those who don't.
- spideymans 5y ago
  These people might not be tinkering with iPads or iPhone, but web development has infinite possibilities and a very low barrier to entry (you only need a computer with a web browser). Anyone interested in code will find a way to scratch that itch.

cblconfederate 5y ago

i m sure ease of tech has to do with it. In the 80s, lawyers would use SQL -- because that was the state of tech at the time. Problems that are out of sight are out of mind. btw there is no such thing as techie anymore - everyone is into tech, there are very very few luddites left. There's a tendency of UI designers to infantilize their designs , but i m not sure that's based on actual measurable improvement or a certain "contempt" for the end user.

inamiyar 5y ago

Agree

sudosteph 5y ago

In this case, I really don't think they're very different. I ended up in tech, but I didn't consider myself a techie at their age. I could do the stuff I mentioned, but pretty much everyone in my peer group could - and most of us did not end up going into tech. In some ways, they're more advanced (one of them used to play some tablet game that basically used programming concepts - though he's never touched real code or applied anything outside of roblox to my knowledge).