78
‘Scanners are complicated’: why Gen Z faces workplace ‘tech shame’ (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/technology@beehaw.org
122 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 21 points 3 years ago* (5 children)

I never read the manual to learn how to use one. Just trial and errored it.

We sure this isn't a consequence of our intolerance for "failure" conditioning a generation to just stick to what they know instead of experimenting?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 5 child comments
    •
  • [–] 26 points 3 years ago (4 children)

    A whole generation has been raised with tech that just works and if on the rare occasion it goes wrong, it goes very wrong and either needs IT/Customer Service/etc to fix it for you because the problem is very technical, or it's just broken and you get a new one. This means they have no problem-solving skills because none of the problems they've faced were solvable, and they're scared to get it wrong because getting it wrong breaks things in ways that are bad and expensive. Coming into an environment where trial and error is now not just ok, but expected, is a reversal of some deeply ingrained habits for them. That doesn't mean they can't learn, but it does make it a bit of a culture shock for them.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [–] 9 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    More than just works, modern apps and phones are explicitly not designed to be fixed by the end user. Why would they have those skills when iPhones and iPads are anti-repair? When software is lucky to have 3 different settings?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 4 points 3 years ago

    This is why Right To Repair is a big deal. Not just because it reduces waste by fixing what might have been thrown away, not just because it allows you to do what you want with the device that you supposedly own, and not just because it breaks the monopoly and requires pricing of repair services to actually be competitive - although all those things are important. It's also because if a device can be repaired, some people will be encouraged to learn how to repair it, and in doing so they'll learn a valuable problem-solving mindset. We need to be mindful of how we first introduce young people to technology to avoid this learned helplessness and instil the attitudes that will allow them to function when they're adults and it's now their job to look under the hood and make it all work.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent