I’m part of Gen Z, and no, we as a generation AREN’T tech savvy. just because we grew up with smart phones does not make us tech savvy. in fact, i actually think it made us dumber with tech. i’m the only one in my school who knows how to use a command line and code (i also use linux as my daily driver). meanwhile everyone else doesn’t even know what a freaking file manager is

There’s a common misconception among boomers and gen x that “digital natives” like gen z have a god-given tech proficiency. However, there’s nothing about being born with a smartphone in your hand that teaches you anything about tech.

It’s not like people are getting better at changing oil as car ownership becomes more common, right?

The tech-savvy reputation comes from the "digital native" narrative i.e. because they grew up with computers they must know computers, which is a silly fallacy because how one interacts with technology makes all the difference. It's the same reason why everyone who grew up with electricity isn't necessarily an electrician.

They use apps.

On phones.

They aren't tech savvy.

Gen Z is app savvy, not tech savvy. Very very different.

I taught a bunch of Gen Zers back when they were in high school. None of them knew how to type well, and it was a rarity that any of them knew how to type at all. I was supposed to teach them things like Microsoft Office, but we had to start with typing and basic PC usage before we could move on to something as complicated as MS Word.

This is what happens when people don't use computers and instead just use cell phones.

but gen z is not tech savvy. They can use a browser. and watch youtube. They never advance past that stage

Their parents don't even give them PCs, only phones, how would they even learn?

I've literally never heard Gen Z described as tech savvy.

People who know nothing more than how to operate a smartphone are not tech savvy. They can't even do that properly. Never seen anyone from that generation use an ad blocker or revanced or anything else that combats enshittification.

I'm a programmer. I write hundreds of lines of code a day (of varying levels of quality ofc). I also fix technology (phones, laptops, desktops. tablets, etc). I'm probably one of the most "tech-savvy" people I know. I very rarely type faster than 70 wpm. it's just not necessary for what most of us are doing.

Being able to use TikTok on your phone doesn't make you tach savvy. They don't know anything about how it all works. It's a false dichotomy.

Gen X that think Gen Zs are tech savvy are probably the people that the actual Gen X nerds shake their head at when we have to teach them how to put an URL in the address bar instead of searching for Gmail and clicking on the link every. goddamn. time.

People believe just because someone interacts with some sort of digital device, it makes you an expert on computers. The thing is, it depends on the type of operating system you are interacting with.

For example when I was young, my father would buy those big old gray computers from yard sales. I would mix and match the pieces inside to build my own PC. I broke a lot of shit but learned a lot.

The operating system was one where you more or less had total control over the computer. By 12~13 I was using CD-Roms to load different Linux distros and play around with all sorts of different things.

This experience basically taught me how operating systems work at a fundamental level. How it needs a kernel, how it loads and maintains services, packages, etc. How file systems work and learning how terminals are useful. Scripting languages, and eventually coding applications.

Compare and contrast that to the young kids of today. What do they get? A phone and a tablet. You can't open it up. You can't tinker with it. The OS is closed off and is deliberately made as difficult as possible to modify. No mouse, no keyboard. Streamlined UIs with guard rails.

You get what you get and you don't get upset. That doesn't leave nearly as much room for exploration and curiosity. It's a symptom of our computers becoming more and more railroaded. More and more control by large companies.

It's really sad, I think. Fairly soon I believe every device will be a "thin device" or essentially a chrome book. Very little local processing power and instead it'll essentially stream from a server.

It seems like a kind of horseshoe thing where Boomers are computer illiterate because they weren't around when they were growing up, while Zoomers are computer illiterate because they grew up primarily interfacing with technology via the simplified, corporate-approved mobile phone platforms. Gen X and Milliennials came of age when computers were still more of a Wild West.

By the time the generation after them get to working age, somebody will have invented the Swype keyboard for office use.

It will always be in uppercase unless you press the "no cap" button.

The natural result of getting rid of computer literacy classes.

As a Gen X, I think my typing speed peaked around late high school/early university? I tried to teach myself touch typing and got moderately proficient. Then I got into programming where you need to reach all of those punctuation marks. So my right hand has drifted further to the right over the years, which is better for code but suboptimal for regular text.

One thing that's really tanked for me though is writing in cursive. I used to be able to take notes in class as fast as the prof could speak. Now I can scarcely sign my own name.

Every single article about "gen x" this or "gen z" that is 100% bullshit. Stop reposting this garbage.

so... people who take typing lessons and actively try to improve it have better typing skills than the ones who don't. Shocking.

The number of people i'm seeing use caps lock instead of shift to do capital letters have been increasing. "Oh you can do that?"

Does Gen Z actually have a tech savvy reputation? I was under the impression that the last few generations aren't that great with computers as they more grew up with mature technology. It is the Gen X and Millennials that are more digital native while having used computers where advanced skills were required.

Gen X here. Honestly, I was a shit typer until I got a keyboard for my sega dreamcast and bought "Typing of the dead".

I went from hunt and peck to well over 100wpm.

I built my Gen Z nephew a PC with a GTX 950 a few years back. When I went by to gift him a new video card I found out that he hooked up his video output from the motherboard the whole time. Don't know how that reflects on all kids from his generation but it was kinda funny.

Technology has moved from nitch nerdy thing to general public usage and as it did so it became usable without knowing what's going on. Gen Z doesn't know shit about technology, they just know how to use it.

When I was a kid, if you wanted to get a computer working you had to screw with the RAM settings or build the computer yourself from components. If you didn't know how to do this you talked with someone who did. I've forced my kids to learn at least some of this, but the idea that they're more tech savvy is ridiculous. They're users of tech, but it's become too complicated (and more user friendly), so they don't know what's happening behind their screen.

once again the divide between being tech-savvy and tech-native rears it's ugly head. no, gen z is not exceptionally tech-savvy compared to previous generations, i can confirm most of my peers are tech morons. they've just been raised with smartphones and therefore know that specific UX language better than previous generations

I think that true "tech-savvyness" isn't really a generational thing.

Some people are just really curious about how stuff works. When they see something they aren't satisfied with, "Just do it." or "Shit just works." They want to know how and why it works. When you hand those people a computer, machine or flower they'll poke at it and try to understand it better.

It's not clear that typing skills are actually needed for that.

I max out at around 80-100 WPM but I only sustain that when I'm transcribing something. When I need to learn about technology, it's much more about reading than typing. When I actually need to do some coding, I spend much more time staring at the screen and looking up stuff on Stackoverlow than I do actually typing.

Most of Z is not savvy at all, just like with every generation. And just like with every generation, some of them will push the envelope of technology. I doubt that lack of typing will slow those folks down.

I mean, as a millennial, I mostly taught myself to type. I'm fast enough, but have bad technique and could be faster. I was only ever actually trained to type in grade school, and barely. Once in a while in computer class we would play an educational typing game.

My mom is much better at typing than I am, because she was trained to type in college. That's not really a thing anymore.

Mavis Beacon would cry if she were around to see this

I blame the attempt to make devices user-friendly. Convenience kills skill.

and this is why i believe that having "user accessible" UI is actually bad, now im not saying every computer needs to use punch cards. I'm just saying that we need to establish some sort of standard for competence here. Linux is a really good example here.

that's because they're not using computers or doing work

Guess that means I'm uncle tech support forever

I agree the 'tech-savvy' phrase has outdone its use. We should use a better phrase, like 'tech-indoctrinated' or 'tablet-fed' to give a better perspective into these younger kids' digital lifestyles.