It seems that those aged roughly between 30 - 50 hit the sweet spot when it comes to computer literacy.
There is an interesting text about it, albeit it is 11 years old already: Kids can't use computers... and this is why it should worry you
Every now and then I read one of those panicked articles raising the alarm about how some member of the young generation doesn't understand folder structures or whatever, and I panic for a second because what if an entire generation grows up not knowing how to use a computer? But then I remember that I've read stories upon stories from Reddit and assorted boomer sites from the 90s and aughts about the exact sort of tech support problems described in that article, and that I've never met someone my age or younger who can't touchtype at least 60 words a minute, and that my sister for whom a command line is the scariest thing in the universe figured out how to install ReShade for a DirectX game she liked all on her own, and that our parents talked the exact same way about cars, and I calm down.
Late Gen x and early gen y had an off-line childhood and digital adulthood. I think that explains a fair amount about computer literacy, because a lot of what they were exposed to is the base config so they had to learn their way up.
although I find that there are plenty of both that are absolutely clueless about tech
Another weird thing that changed in that generation was communication style. Sms and email bred their own language and abbreviations..
Other notables - digital wayfinding (online maps and Gps), music purchase and consumption, proliferation of social media, adoption of online persona, all changes that gen x / early y lived through.
TL;DR? Why not just go watch another five second video of a kitten with its head in a toilet roll, or a 140 character description of a meal your friend just stuffed in their mouth. "nom nom". This blog post is not for you.
wow, this some next level obnoxious boomer shit.
Not only that, but co-workers from my own generation also don’t know how to fix their own computers, so I’m just surrounded by people that have no idea how any of it works.
I think that's the real crux of it. Most people don't know. There may have been a bump in literacy, but most people don't know, don't care, and don't need to. If we had better education, this kind of thing could be a core class. I had computer classes, but they mainly focused on typing and specific programs. Basically nothing about components, the command prompt, programming, different OS, etc. Granted this was many years ago, but I live in Florida. So, it's probably worse.
gen z here, can confirm. most of my peers just do not care about learning how things actually work
Millennial here. I've definitely noticed a shortage of people entering my technical field. Great for job security, and I'm treated very well at work. But this is going to be a problem down the road.
in my experience, younger kids either don't know anything about computers or are obsessed with them. I don't see a lot of the middle
Our parents didn't think it was important. Our kids don't think it is necessary.
Imagine how horse farmers felt about engine maintenance on the first automobiles. Early adopters probably knew everything about how to fix tractors and cars. But today, how many people know how to change their own brakes or flush the coolant?
Life evolves, and transitions come faster with every generation. It's good that nobody knows how to use a sextant or a fax machine.
The next generation doesn't know how to use a mouse because they do everything on the phone. And yes, I have met people like that.
I'm glad that many kids are into PC gaming, at least. That's still a decent vector into computer proficiency and a little hardware knowledge.
Try teaching them.
"Try teaching an impatient person, who undervalues the subject matter, already missed several opportunities to learn about it in formal education settings and who you lack a teacher-student dynamic with..."
Or, in a way...
"It's one banana, Michael - what could it cost, $10?"
I refuse to fix anything for my inlaws without them watching me. I make them watch me Google the solutions and follow the instructions. It helps reinforce the "it's not magic and I'm not a wizard" reality I want to instill in everyone.
This seems like an opportunity to quote one my shirts "I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you". Teaching always involves two willing people.
The weird bit is that our parent's generation is also the one that build the damn things in the first place!
My four-year-old daughter is shockingly proficient with a mouse and keyboard. Kid goes to town on Spyro: Reignited. My wife snagged an old PC from her office and we want to set it up for her eventually for learning, light gaming and MS Paint. We figure in another year or two we can set up a family Minecraft server and get her in on it. The dream is to get her playing Valheim with us when she's older.
Hoping she will be as good with PCs and I am, and would love to help her build one when she's grown.
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