this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2024
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I dont think this is the case. I feel like there just is a much wider gap because some people grow up without a computer (they may have one but not see the use of it) and others do. I bet you'd be surprised both at how non-tech-savvy and at how tech-savvy some genZ-ers are.
I have had people asking me for help because their "keyboard was capitalizing everything" (caps lock was on) or being amazed by touch typing. But there are also many people who are (at least somewhat) tech-savvy and it's not so few people either.
What I've heard, and what makes sense, is that Millenials had to learn technology and troubleshoot all the issues for their parents.
Now that they're grown up, they continue to troubleshoot issues for their kids and fix any issues.
So their kids don't get that same experience.
This is more of a generalization of course, there are absolutely genZ-ers who are tech savvy.
It is the case. The generation that grew up with an iPad never had to learn to use a file system.
Except gen Z didn't grow up with just an iPad, at least not the majority. A good amount of people had (or have) access to a laptop or family computer. Thats why I say that the gap has just gotten wider. Some people, eg. the ones that just had an iPad and all they ever did was social media and mobile games - sure, they know very little about computers. But the ones that did use computers (and thats not a small amount) do really know how to use it - which is not limited to the more or less office-focused skills of older generations.
I think you raised a good point. A household where one or both parents is heavy into coding or missing would probably help them more than a household that only relies on 'smart' technology. Either of those options would be way more helpful for these skills than growing up without any technology, which is just reality for a lot of people.
I know someone from Gen Z who is horrible with computers. I also know someone from Gen Z who is fantastic with computers.
To be honest, I don't think any generation is immune to this, despite what some want to think.
My personal experience might be biased, but I've also seen a lot of millenials in their early to mid 30s who struggle with almost anything online. Too damn many. I've also seen some people from Gen X who are beyond tech illiterate. We don't really talk about those guys though.
There is still time to fix this problem with the younger Gen Z, but there's almost never any discussion about actually doing that either. "Gen Z" also includes kids who are around 12, but we often act like Gen Z all grew up into adults. Let's get some of that school funding back ffs! Kids have to learn from somewhere, and many of their parents seem to not care about teaching them any of this stuff.
Many of us were lucky enough to grow up when most of this technology was still developing. We HAD to troubleshoot things if we wanted them to work. Fewer things were locked behind "customer service" and crappy warranties. You could physically open things up to fix them without having such a high risk of breaking them in the process.
First rule of Gen X is that we don't talk about Gen X.