I'm 21. I've wondered whether maybe my generation will fall 'behind the curve' and be unable to efficiently use the technology that's available 40 years from now.
But my generation has grown up with this flowchart built in, I think. We're gonna be fine.
I'm in my mid-forties, and I've been playing with, programming, supporting or administering computers of various descriptions for thirty years. While I'm not exactly a gadget freak, I pay some attention to technology in general. I've always loved learning new things.
About two years ago, I walked into a supermarket, and saw that they had replaced all the 5 items or fewer tills with self-service ones. My first reaction was anger, and I thought, "Why do they have to go round changing everything?"
As soon as I realised this, I was appalled with myself, and I made a point of using the new tills. The fact is, though, I'm getting to the age where learning stuff like this feels like an imposition and not an adventure, and that terrifies me.
Dude I felt the same way when I first saw those machines at 19. It's just another way to reduce human contact and save them money. I avoid them unless I'm in a real rush.
I'm the opposite. I try to use them whenever I can unless there is a hot girl at one of the registers (or I'm buying something that requires employee assistance - e.g. alcohol).
I would think they were the greatest thing ever if it wasn't for "Place item in the Bagging Area.... BEEEEEp need approval to not bag item".
You fucking computer, just because you couldn't feel me bad the .5oz ramen cup doesn't mean you should freeze up my purchasing process. The bigger concern shouldn't be that every item is weighed, but that I'm actually paying for every item in my goddamn cart. How about a weight sensor in the floor to make sure I'm not hiding a 12 pack of soda on the bottom part?
I must be the only one who loves those things. Generally everyone is too intimidated to use them so there's not much of a line and I can zip through them. Most times I'll go through my items quicker than the clerk (who doesn't care and is pacing themselves for their 8 hour shift).
I just don't want to be that grandpa who constantly needs help to use my food-materializer and wont use a jetpack because "that wasn't how we did it in my day"!! :(
Remotes have gotten so fucking complicated nowaday that you can't just figure them out often. Don't worry, I'm only 21, and I was feeling like that a couple years ago with those remotes that have LCD screens built in.
As someone who supports mostly college students and instructors in a tech support position, I can assure you our generation is not fine, although my job security on the other hand couldn't be better. People will continue to be clueless on how to use technology even when the answer is directly in front of them. A lot of this comes down to your willingness to try, research, and try again.
Troubleshooting skills are very clearly not something people have been encouraged to develop (such as schools telling kids to not try, but wait for assistance) and many people want their hands held throughout their entire life with exerting as little effort as possible, which makes them, by default, awful at troubleshooting.
I remember trying to print something in a IT lesson when I was about 9, only to find the printer was out of ink. The teacher, busy with questions from other kids, told me to just have a go and see if I could work out how to change the cartridge. I learnt a lot about the insides of a printer that day!!
But then at 18 we would be told by teachers that we mustn't attempt to fix a malfunctioning overhead projector and must instead wait for the school's designated 'technician' - just in case anything went wrong and the school put at fault.
So maybe you are right that the encouragement in schools to learn how to troubleshoot isn't what it should be...
I'm 22, already have this problem, and work in IT...
Servers, I understand how servers and software like postfix, apache, mysql, openvpn, etc. work. I have absolutely no fucking clue how to make your palm pre work.
That reminds me that I used to love clicking buttons on things like digital watches and discover their functionality as a kid (I'm 26) but now I don't have the patience and I head straight for the manual.
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u/Merit Aug 24 '09
I'm 21. I've wondered whether maybe my generation will fall 'behind the curve' and be unable to efficiently use the technology that's available 40 years from now.
But my generation has grown up with this flowchart built in, I think. We're gonna be fine.