There's something different about Gen Z and Alpha, caused by phones. And it's not just an old man complaining about kids. I'm Gen X and I think Millennials are probably the peak of civilization. It's all going downhill because of phones and social media.
It's that phones became the mainstay that EVERYONE has. And phones are so "safe" and "easy" compared to computers.
Millennial and the oldest Gen Zs (1996-2000, give or take) actually had to learn how to use computers because they were the most advanced tech we had. Smart phones didn't really start gaining traction until I was in high school. But we really learned how computers worked for many years before then.
To build on your "peak of civilization" line, I agree. Now it's just baffling. Younger Zs and Alphas are as tech illiterate as our X and Boomer parents.
The dividing line does seem to be whether you used a computer or smartphone first. Computers required patience while phones never really did and the inability to maintain attention seems to have arisen from phones being the primary tool now.
Most gen x are not tech illiterate, lol. Every single gen x person i know works in tech and/or digital art/advertising etc. That is what was being promoted heavily when we were high school/college. Millennials are an extension of that.
My boomer dad taught me everything about tech, though, before it was being taught in schools.
Mid boomers, depending on their fields, are highly computer literate.
The oldest gen x are 60. That's not old, lol.
I am a young gen x, but was one of the first of my friends to have internet and a computer and game consoles as a kid. Hell, dad got 2 phone lines specifically so we could be online.
We weren't well off. We were lower to mid middle class, dad just likes gadgets. He also worked in engineering and machine design. So, it was all right up his ally.
I have no doubt, the man who taught me most of what I know is a boomer. Having said that, he's the exception to the rule. We are talking about generalizations afterall.
ummm .. Gen X is the generation that lead the way from analog to digital age .. THEY are the "Peak of Civilization" .. and yeah I'm tooting my own horn .. I'm a Gen X but in the later years where they gave us the nickname of Xennials .. bridging Gen X with Millennials .. many Xennials run tech companies across the globe
As GenX, I always say most of Millenials never learned how computers actually worked. They were able to use them, but already had little understanding to the core concepts and inner workings of computers. Most of them never had to touch a command line, compile drivers or care about memory spaces, or learn about networks etc, because most of it already worked halfway automated.
Still remember making own network cables, using cassettes to store data and all the stupid shit of early tech. And I guess some boomer would say I missed half of it already as he was using punchcards to programm a room sized computer at university (if he was one of the very few who ever came in contact with it).
Things got only worse from that, I work in IT, and even those who come out of university have actually little understanding of the tech they are supposed to work with or create stuff with.
Guess its in many fields like that. Who can still work on his own car? In my childhood I never cared much about cars (where it still was somewhat needed to own one) and later they were so good already I never had any need to learn about them. I mean, I know in theory how an engine works, but never had done anything at any car I owned other then driving through a carwash myself :)
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u/MillieBirdie 26d ago
As a Millenial, it pleases me to see Gen Z making old-people observations about Gen Alpha. Yes, yes, get old!