Do you think millennials who grew up with the early Internet and home computers will be as bad with future technology as boomers are with current technology?
My wife and I started talking about this after she had to help an old lady at the DMV figure out how to use her iPhone to scan a QR code. We're in our early 40s.
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I think most millennials and and gen-x folks will be totally fine.
I don't want to sound like one of those "kids these days" people, but kids these days have it rough.
I work in tech and old folks, mainly boomers, are usually ok to work with when it comes to tech, because they know they don't understand it. They grew up without it, avoided it when possible, embraced it when necessary, but they know that requires effort, and they're just generally not interested. I get that. They just need some reps and to feel comfortable, and they get it.
Most gen-z folks have grown up in a world where you just click things and they work. As a general rule, gen-x grew up in an era where you had to tinker with the hardware and software yourself if you wanted to do something. As a millennial, I had it easier. Most of the hardware was sorted, but some of the software was not, so you still had to do some configuration yourself if you wanted something to work.
Gen-z hasn't had that. If app A doesn't work, download app B. They're so used to things just working, they have no idea how to troubleshoot anything. In that way, they're usually worse than boomers. Generally a boomer will make an effort to try to fix something, understanding it's outside their wheelhouse. The zoomer won't and just stops in their tracks.
For example, a boomer will mangle the displayport connection on their computer trying to plug their HDMI cable into it. It looked like it would fit. The zoomer doesn't understand they need to plug in the computer to the monitor. The computer is already plugged in to the wall. Why plug it in again? Both things I have seen in the last 3 months. If someone thinks their computer is broken but it just needs the monitor turned on, they're more often under 25 than over 55.
Again, these are generalizations. There are individuals who don't fit into these trends. This is just my experience.
I think every generation has things they're good and bad at. I also think every generation forgets how bad they were at certain things at a younger age. So I believe they'll be fine.
I've never really thought of it from that perspective before... but I think you're 100% right
It’s funny because it’s true
To be fair if App A doesn't work there also isn't much that you can do about it. Trying another app is the troubleshooting.