this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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[–] [email protected] 50 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Gradeschoolers, yes.

Boomers are still struggling even with the modern, simplified UI. They would likely continue to struggle if we had Idiocracy style UI on things (big, bright colored buttons with pictures of what they do).

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

Gradeschoolers, yes.

Not so much anymore. Gradescoolers all grew up on iPads and are probably worse off than boomers.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Boomers struggle period, its hard being stupid

[–] altima_neo 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm amazed they can sort of navigate an iphone

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I think they mostly just tap around until they get where they need to go, something in between a parrot and a monkey with a typewriter.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

Er, it's not the boomers who are struggling. They're barely even in the workforce anymore.

https://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/grow-google-2019/smartphone-generation-computer-help/3127/

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I know it's fun to rag our boomer parents and grandparents but it was boomers who designed the older, "complex" UI for usage by other boomers. Since boomers are now dropping out of the workforce (25% of it right now) it seems likely that the UI is being dumbed down for the much larger Gen-X/Millennial/Gen Z workforce.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yeah, there's now a lot of people who have actually never used a desktop OS, and the only OS they've used being a phone or tablet. Those people are more having an influence on dumbing down the OS now. It's pretty crazy how compute illiterate newer generations have become due to shift in what is considered their primary OS. Some people don't even have laptop or desktops.

https://www.theverge.com/22684730/students-file-folder-directory-structure-education-gen-z

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I see both kinds of Boomers. My dad, a boomer, is in the tech industry. He is a software engineer. My grandpa was also a software engineer. Everyone I know from his side of the family has been in tech.

And then there is every boomer I know that isn't my own family and they are practically luddites. I know the former can exist. But it seems rare.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Apparently a large portion of the population, regardless of generation, proudly announces their tech illiteracy. I'm IT, and these people don't even remember their personal email passwords.