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So the perception of those aged 50+, is one of people so far removed from technology they’d prefer to use a telephone to avoid their discomfort with computers?

So the perception of those aged 50+, is one of people so far removed from technology they’d prefer to use a telephone to avoid their discomfort with computers? I’m well into this group and still make a lot more api calls than phone calls. Fresh out of college I recall vividly thinking, I’ll need to build an impressive list of side projects to overcome preconceptions about how much I can truly offer at my age. Maybe nothing has changed.

dingnuts 2y ago
the idea that someone who was 20 in 1995 is too old to be comfortable with computers is a horrifying and offensive stereotype that deeply worries me for my own future our industry is old enough that the first generation of pioneers has died of old age. Do you really think someone who grew up with computers in the 80s is incapable of using a smart phone? These are people who are still in the workforce today. These are your most skilled colleagues. Some of them probably designed the device you think they're too old to understand
- deleted 2y ago
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- ericd 2y ago
  I don't think anyone is denying the existence of Greybeards, it's more that the field has exploded so much in the meantime that the probability of a random 30 year old being in it is much higher than the probability of a random 50 year old.
- vel0city 2y ago
  > someone who was 20 in 1995 is too old to be comfortable with computers I know people who are in their 20s and 30s who seem to be uncomfortable with computers, cloud technology, and especially AI. In some ways I'm one of them. I will never let an always listening AI helper be in my home. And I'm <40.
  - xattt 2y ago
    That’s different. One is fear of the unknown, the other is a precautionary fear of what could be.
    - dylan604 2y ago
      Not really. A lot of people in their 20s might have never actually done much with a computer, yet they cannot put their phone down. I know lots of 20-somethings that cannot type. I know even more that do not own a traditional "computer". It has nothing to do with fear, but lack of need.
bloomingkales 2y ago
I had chatgpt read through my recent bloodwork results and helped me understand it better than my doctor. 50+ are going to be so addicted to this thing its not even funny. My parents are not reaching for AI immediately yet, but thats just a yet. This is the wave that could come at any moment.
conductr 2y ago
I think the SMS chat feature this enables is of more significance than the actual voice calling feature.
hombre_fatal 2y ago
My dad sells farming-related equipment to mostly older people and there are still people more comfortable giving him their credit card info over the phone instead of purchasing on his website online. (Though I see that as mostly a failure of our financial industry. Credit card numbers should be obsolete by now.)
etbebl 2y ago
Just one data point but my father is in his 70s and has never owned a smartphone, when he wants to Google something he goes to the computer in the basement. On the other hand there are landline extensions all over the house. So yeah it would be more convenient for people like him.

dingnuts 2y ago

the idea that someone who was 20 in 1995 is too old to be comfortable with computers is a horrifying and offensive stereotype that deeply worries me for my own future our industry is old enough that the first generation of pioneers has died of old age. Do you really think someone who grew up with computers in the 80s is incapable of using a smart phone? These are people who are still in the workforce today. These are your most skilled colleagues. Some of them probably designed the device you think they're too old to understand

deleted 2y ago
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ericd 2y ago
I don't think anyone is denying the existence of Greybeards, it's more that the field has exploded so much in the meantime that the probability of a random 30 year old being in it is much higher than the probability of a random 50 year old.
vel0city 2y ago
> someone who was 20 in 1995 is too old to be comfortable with computers I know people who are in their 20s and 30s who seem to be uncomfortable with computers, cloud technology, and especially AI. In some ways I'm one of them. I will never let an always listening AI helper be in my home. And I'm <40.
- xattt 2y ago
  That’s different. One is fear of the unknown, the other is a precautionary fear of what could be.
  - dylan604 2y ago
    Not really. A lot of people in their 20s might have never actually done much with a computer, yet they cannot put their phone down. I know lots of 20-somethings that cannot type. I know even more that do not own a traditional "computer". It has nothing to do with fear, but lack of need.

bloomingkales 2y ago

I had chatgpt read through my recent bloodwork results and helped me understand it better than my doctor. 50+ are going to be so addicted to this thing its not even funny. My parents are not reaching for AI immediately yet, but thats just a yet. This is the wave that could come at any moment.

conductr 2y ago

I think the SMS chat feature this enables is of more significance than the actual voice calling feature.

hombre_fatal 2y ago

My dad sells farming-related equipment to mostly older people and there are still people more comfortable giving him their credit card info over the phone instead of purchasing on his website online. (Though I see that as mostly a failure of our financial industry. Credit card numbers should be obsolete by now.)

etbebl 2y ago

Just one data point but my father is in his 70s and has never owned a smartphone, when he wants to Google something he goes to the computer in the basement. On the other hand there are landline extensions all over the house. So yeah it would be more convenient for people like him.