Gen Z-Ers Are Computer Whizzes. Just Don't Ask Them to Type
wsj.com
wsj.com
There are no digital natives. I've been quite taken aback at the lack of basic computer literacy in teenagers and people in their early twenties.
They're not really understanding what they're doing. For the most part they're merely consumers of online products.
They're growing up in a world where AI can already write better than the majority of their peers (and probably teachers and bosses) anyway...
For occasional writing, phones seem fine? I just measured my phone typing and it wasn't that slow, 70wpm with autocorrect/swiping. Probably the phone natives are much faster? The days of manually writing long things will probably soon be behind us anyway...
Why would you want to be so low capability? How does this lack of capability help you?
I'm just saying social norms and needs change with the generations, and I see a lot of younger people who can't type (and maybe don't really need to, if they're not doing IT). Unless they're a programmer or writer, there's not really a common professional need to write long things anymore, as far as I can tell. If I try to do that, I'll probably just get asked to summarize it in bullet points.
I'm sure keyboards will be around for a while (they can pry mine out of my cold, dead, twitchy fingers), but typing is not the essential skill for everyone like it was in my generation. Communication will be important, obviously, but the way we communicate changes over time. My generation stopped using faxes and snail mail halfway through (and cursive was never useful for us). I wouldn't be surprised if Gen-Z and beyond come up with their own preferred ways.
And if they did really need to type, there are kids who can thumb-type faster than my parents ever could on a computer keyboard.
In terms of being able to string some sentences together without relying on AI as a crutch. If they are outsourcing their thinking then what do they bring to the table? If they have nothing to say without plagiarizing what some machine learning has plagiarized from someone else then what value do they bring?
If their skill set is so sparse that they lack capability as basic as touch typing that doesn't bode well for their prospects. There's no value in deskilling yourself.
And, can you be a digital native, and not program at least some?
Have you seen college-level writing at most US schools? It's pretty abysmal if they're not some sort of English major. And the AI doesn't have to write blandly if you prompt it well.
The overwhelming majority of Americans I've met in education, business, and everyday life cannot write well. It's just not something that's emphasized in our educational system. Hell, education itself isn't very emphasized...
> And, can you be a digital native, and not program at least some?
What do you mean? Digital native just means they grew up with smartphones, social media, apps, creators, influencers, etc. And in the workforce, there are many digital professionals who don't necessarily code: management, UX, sales, marketing, PMs, QA, 3D artists, etc.
Coding is just a particular skillset involving tech, but there are rich YouTubers, streamers, musicians, and whatnot who've made a living despite not having written a single line. I think coding is just going to become another trade skill, while the ability to use digital media for mass persuasion remains as powerful as it's always been... the gifted charismatic extroverts don't need to code, they just need to communicate. But very little effective communication happens by long-form writing anymore. A video or tweet goes much further.