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submitted 5 months ago by merari42@lemmy.world to c/memes@lemmy.world
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[-] Earflap@reddthat.com 211 points 5 months ago

Gen Z/A are good at using tech, but they don't really know anything about how it works. I work in IT support and it can honestly be a tossup sometimes if the person who doesnt know how to clear their cache is a boomer or not.

[-] metaStatic@kbin.earth 210 points 5 months ago

if a 3 year old can use a smart phone it's not because that child is a genius it's because the phones designer was.

[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 69 points 5 months ago

Oh no, does this mean Gen X are going to be the wisened graybeards that holds arcane knowledge and seemly executes feats of magic when related to technology?

[-] Sabin10@lemmy.world 40 points 5 months ago

Going to be? We already are, along with older millenials.

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 24 points 5 months ago

Based on how often I have to explain very obvious error messages to ostensibly qualified system admins: Yes.

(Though I insist I’m the oldest millennial and not Gen x)

[-] 200ok@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago
[-] Samsy@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 months ago

True, late stage millenials are the same kind as Gen Y/A.

[-] Zorque@lemmy.world 19 points 5 months ago

Only the 10% or so that paid attention to "nerd stuff".

All the rest are, at best boomer level, at worst smug about being at boomer level.

[-] ech@lemm.ee 11 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

More like Millennials. Gen X may have been around for the duration of the silicon boom, but it was largely niche "nerd shit" when they were kids, and only became widely accessible/acceptable to them with the same changes that have left Gen A lacking basic computer skills. Millennials, though, grew up through the full development of PCs and the Internet and had to learn how to navigate them at their early stages, as well as keep up with the rapid changes. It of course still isn't universal knowledge there, either, but anyone that used a computer regularly through the early 2000s is going to be levels above most people getting into it now.

[-] Redredme@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Tsss, calling me an old nerd on lemmy. You're a nerd! You're on Lemmy!

But yes, i wildly, loudly concur woth most of this thread: my kids can't be bothered with HOW something works. It just has to work. No interest at all in tcp, udp, whats a bit, byte why is everything in multiples of 8: that's all nerd shit. And, indeed: my shit. Dad! You're the nerd: fix this!

[-] TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works 9 points 5 months ago

Gen X is gonna be the tech equivalent of my grandma who knows everything there is to know about sewing and cooking

[-] merc@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 months ago

I wonder if that's true. Sewing machines haven't changed much since they started. Cooking hasn't either. But, if you're a computer-using Gen Xer, you can't still be running Windows 95 or something. You've had to keep up with the current tech.

Now, you might be using Windows 11 the same way you used Windows 95, and missing out on some of the newer features. But, I think most people who knew how to debug a networking problem in Windows 95 still can figure out how to do it in the newest Windows releases.

It's like driving. Yes, older drivers are worse drivers, their eyesight and hearing is worse, their reaction speed is slower, etc. But, cars have changed pretty considerably in the last 50 years, and most older drivers know how to use modern cars. They may not be as good at using some of the gadgets, like the GPS system, as younger people. But, they've adapted to keyless entry, push-button starts, push-button windows, backup cameras, traction control, and so-on.

[-] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 9 points 5 months ago
[-] generallynonsensical@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

"Going to be .."?

I feel like I've been that graybeard for at least 10 lifetimes. No beginning. No end. Only servitude.

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 37 points 5 months ago

It’s honestly a toss up whether sysadmins know what the fuck they’re doing. I’m working on a deal now that’s hampered by the fact that a Linux sysadmin for a huge finserv company doesn’t know how to administer a Linux system.

This is why the humanities are important: So you learn how to think about a problem and not just rely on someone writing down every goddamn keystroke for you.

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

humanities?

You spelt Math incorrectly.

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

People who think like you make my job a lot harder.

How are you supposed to understand instructions when you read at a third grade level?

How are you supposed to do research to understand an error message if you’ve never looked anything up before?

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

Mathematicians can usually read.

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Except we’re not dealing with mathematicians. We’re dealing with sysadmins who must read well and quickly to do their job effectively.

They need to comprehend complex technical documents. They need to break things down into principles so they can apply them in novel contexts. They need to understand what the words “could not connect on port 4242” mean.

Except they don’t. They get me on the phone, throw their hands up in frustration, and have me push the buttons for them.

Because they didn’t pay attention in their humanities classes.

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

My confusion is that a degree in humanities doesn't guarantee that someone can create clear instructions or follow then. (Nor does a degree in mathematics but at least there is some logic involved)

[-] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

Being able to express yourself clearly and also read and interpret text is a big part of the humanities. Far too many folks in tech think these are worthless skills to develop and become a pain in my ass.

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

humanities?

You spelt Math incorrectly.

[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Gen Z/A are good at using tech, but they don’t really know anything about how it works.

Millennials don't, either. A tiny fraction of a fraction had technical literacy 20 years ago and now they think they're top shit because they can write simple CMD commands.

All this jerking one another off is crazy. I work in the industry and I'm surrounded by people my own age who don't know what Active Directory is much less Linux.

[-] Sanctus@lemmy.world 14 points 5 months ago

Same as it ever was. The only thing that has changed is accessibility. All these discussions seem to miss that. Most people have not, do not, and will not ever care.

[-] Lostinthecroll@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago

I guess I'm one of the fractions of a fraction. I remember back in the late 90s when that catastrophe of an OS called Windows ME was plaguing our society. Having to manually change registry keys just to make the damn thing recognize a sound card.

It makes me sound old but, kids these days have no idea the kind of hell we went through. If/when I have kids I'm going to start them off with DOS 6 and gradually move them up to current OSes. They need to know the pain we went through.

[-] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

t makes me sound old but, kids these days have no idea the kind of hell we went through

I mean, whose motherboard still needs a sound card in this day and age? But then I could tell you about fiddling with the settings of an old dot matrix printer. I don't think that qualifies me to set up a Kubernetes cluster or administer a data lake.

The "you kids today" rants seen to miss how hyper specialized computer hardware and software has become. No, Gen A is going to magically intuit an Azure DevOps Pipeline from first principles. Setting that up feels like I'm working through a Master's Thesis on arcane file types. People need to stop pretending that knowing a bit of Regex from middle school entitled them to talk shit to a guy ten years their junior struggling with a customized .yaml file.

[-] x4740N@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

In sorry but this really sounds like boomer-esque mindset

Why should the younger generation have to go through the struggles of the older generation when those struggles are not relevant today

I'm gen z myself and I've changed Windows registry settings to disable stuff like caudiolimiter and change a few other things but I only learned to do that out of necessity

Things should not be forced on people unless they want to learn them, people will only learn things they are interested in

Force them to learn something and they won't bother actually learning it because they aren't interested and it won't stick

This mindset is the same thing as passing down generational trauma to a a younger generation

[-] ech@lemm.ee 5 points 5 months ago

People don't need to know how to write a program from scratch to have useful tech knowledge. Knowing basic keyboard shortcuts puts a person above the vast majority of other people in terms of tech literacy.

[-] MutilationWave@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 5 months ago

For real. I've taught people copy paste shortcuts and they act like I'm an alien.

[-] x4740N@lemm.ee 8 points 5 months ago

Gen Z are good at using tech, gen A are still learning how to use tech

[-] hemmes@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

You in NYC area? I’m hiring.

[-] x4740N@lemm.ee 5 points 5 months ago

NYC = new york city

This is a translation provided for free by me because this user has defualted to american defaultism

To the person I'm replying to, THIS IS THE INTERNET, NOT america

[-] raef@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

If he's from NYC, he knows what NYC means. If he's not from there, it doesn't matter anyway

[-] hemmes@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

My dude, he’s from America lol

[-] merc@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 months ago

NYC is one of a number of world cities known by acronyms or nicknames:

  • Rio For Rio de Janeiro
  • HK For Hong Kong
  • TJ For Tijuana
  • KL For Kuala Lumpur
  • TO For Toronto
  • Joburg For Johannesburg

There's even a whole country that goes by its initials: UK.

So, stop thinking this is some American thing, it's just a way that people shorten the names of common cities that have a few too many syllables to be convenient.

this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2025
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