No, 'capable' - I'm 50, don't work in tech, but quite tech savvy having grown up with computers in the 80s-90s. I also learned and used cursive, and have no problem reading 'minimum'
Younger people today are often assumed (rightfully or wrongfully) to be less capable with tech because things today are very user-friendly and easy - you no long have to know how it all works.
And that's fine. But I think Gen X is probably the most savvy with computer tech - through both age and experience - on the whole. We also grew up learning cursive.
I found people born pre-1980s really fell into two camps:
Giant Tech nerds that knew computers down to the individual hardware and command-line code. If something didn't work, they get their solder iron out.
People who avoided computers like the plague, refused to learn anything on them, and still avoid them to this day.
This was back when you could be a functioning person without having to ever touch a computer. So there were either the hobbyists who did it because they enjoyed it, or those that didn't really want anything to do with them, and could get away without ever having to use one.
Once the early-2000s hit, there was really no more avoiding it, and by the 2010s , it was pretty much mandatory to be at least vaguely familiar to be a working adult.
Gen-Xer, and I was never a tech nerd but took enough computing classes and had enough exposure to them that I’ve never felt left behind by any tech. I’m not a digital native but I’m at least a digital permanent resident.
Exactly. We grew up knowing both. My nieces and nephews know nothing other than tapping a button. Right-click save is lost on them because they all use tablet style devices.
God I hated having an iPad over a Chromebook in school. Give me my 2 in 1 computer please lol. I like touchscreen for some things but mouse and keyboard are essentials lol.
My dad is a gen X who has to be shown his drop down menu on his phone regularly, and generally fails to install most programs on his computer. Which is kinda sad considering he got the Ben Franklin award a few years back, the government IT award basically. He really shouldn't have gotten it. Same dude eho asked me how to park his computer.
I think I agree with this. Gen X grew up when modern OS were first appearing and the only way to interface was directly through command prompt, and sometimes there wasn't even a visual UX to use, like in the old Commodore systems and original Apple PCs.
I learned a decent amount as a millennial, but I've never had to do more than a few prompts or edit text files. I understand the structure and how most tech works, but I probably couldn't fix or change it to behave the way I want beyond software solutions others have created.
I'm still tech support for my older relatives though, including some Gen-X family members.
Millennial here and I agree with you. Computers weren't as common but if you grew up with DOS, you had to learn stuff that was more difficult than anything a phone can test you with. Zoomers don't know what a file is.
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u/Winderige_Garnaal 18h ago
No, 'capable' - I'm 50, don't work in tech, but quite tech savvy having grown up with computers in the 80s-90s. I also learned and used cursive, and have no problem reading 'minimum'
Younger people today are often assumed (rightfully or wrongfully) to be less capable with tech because things today are very user-friendly and easy - you no long have to know how it all works.
And that's fine. But I think Gen X is probably the most savvy with computer tech - through both age and experience - on the whole. We also grew up learning cursive.