COMPUTERS AND GENERATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Part 2

In my previous article, I talked about how technology, which is most mainstream at the time, is what makes kids of that generation the most competent at it, in general. We also briefly discussed some outliers and the important point which is: Just because you did not grow up with that technology, it does not mean you cannot be competent, or even one of the best people with that technology.

There is a sense of dread with how fast technology has been advancing in the past 30 years. However, as it advanced in the tech industry, the question of ‘user-friendliness and ease of learning’, became a major question that is even studied under the computer science subject, human-computer interaction. That is because, even those at the cutting edge of the tech industry, struggle to keep up while end-users are completely left in the dust otherwise.

It was easy to discover that just because something is powerful, does not mean it has to be esoteric. Those that are esoteric, are always taken over things that are much easier to use. We can thank the free markets for that. Fortunately, the popular technology often passes this litmus test, and the main obstacle that the older generation faces is often nothing more than a mental barrier against the new technology.

I have been fortunate enough to be on all sides of this situation. In the past, and when it comes to any technology, as soon as you figure out the logic behind the basics, nothing is stopping you from grasping it in full.

The kids of that age were not anything special. With your own life experiences, if you do not erect a mental barrier around the problem, it is much easier not to only grasp it, but to go even further and expand one’s horizons through grasping that new piece of technology. Examples of this are out there, so go out and fear not the unknown, for there is no shame in learning, but there is shame in willful ignorance.