Lower part of the learning curve or younger generation?

[Dark_Stang]

Recently I've noticed a massive increase in stupid posts. Not very many on this forum, but the other forums I go to are making up for it ten fold.

I just saw a post asking how to find out of a person had spyware on their computer. This was posted in a forum that had a stickie full of information on spyware and malware and how to get rid of it.

Another one, and I'll quote this person...

"Use a fresh cassette after recording 2 or 3 times on the same cassette. The head tends to get dirty if you re-record on the same cassette more than 3 times"

What will happen if I record more than 3 times using a MiniDV?

This left me speechless... I... I'm having a hard time going on right now actually...

Did the lower end of the learning curve come up to computers now or is this the generation underneath us? And do any of you in tech support have to deal with things like this?

[Cabhan]

Well, as an 18 year old, I would argue that it's not the younger generation :P.

What I believe is going on is that computers are becoming more accessible and easier to use. While in the past, people who worked with computers were computer professionals, nowadays EVERYONE uses computers. As a result, a lot of people don't quite know how everything works.

This isn't a bad thing, as everyone has to start somewhere, but I feel that many people may feel that their problem is urgent, causing them to ignore stickies, even when the problem clearly isn't. This comes from lack of information, primarily due to the greater popularity of computers.


Just my $0.02.

[Kojak]

On the one hand, you are right. Using computers is more normal than e.g. twenty years ago, thus "Joe Average" who has no clue about how computers work will ask questions that appear to be "stupid", while they are not really stupid. But on the other hand, it is a sad fact that many of the younger generation suffers from a worsening educational system (there are many studies that reveal that todays kids are apparently less intellectual than those ten or twenty years ago) and as a result of that post things that reveal their lack of education. And we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. The next generation will probably be even worse, if thinks don't change fast. I will stop here, as it would become a topic about sociology, politics, history and philosophy and some of those topics are not allowed here. If you are interested in finding out more on that stuff, use your brains and do some researches.

[Roxoff]

Its not so much stupidity as ignorance. What I mean is they're extremely impolite to the point of being offensive. Some people will ask a question like that without even bothering to read the already posted answer, or even to take a glance to see if there is and answer already posted.

If I'm giving my time to help other people, the least I ask of them is the respect that it's my time, and that I give it on my own terms. That means they should at least take steps to avoid asking questions that were answered in a sticky post at the top of the forum that they're posting in. I'm prepared to accept that some people cant handle doing searches - that's OK, but they got as far as the forum to post their question in it so theres no excuse for not reading sticky posts if the title gets close to their own question.

Is it stupidity? Probably not. Is it lazyness? Yes.

<climbs down off high horse...>

[easuter]

i was once asked by a 9th grade schoolmate how to rewind a CD

[fingal]

Hmmm I wonder ...

"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on
frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond
words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and
respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise
[disrespectful] and impatient of restraint" (Hesiod, 8th century BC).

Old Greeks or Old Geeks?

[cousinlucky]

What it really is is the food being consumed, nowadays, and the awful methods used to grow it - a very wise man once told me.

[Zelmo]

Oh, Fingal, I love it! I absolutely love it!

[Senak^2]

I think for most average persons the only priority they have about learning about their computer is how to get on and do what they want at the fastest and easiest way possible. Only do they learn more "technical" things when they want to do a certain job that requires it. They simply don't want to learn more or understand than what they need to. So I don't think that it's the lower part of the learning curve or that it's the younger generation that's causing the stupid comments, just laziness. I think that it's essential to at least learn a little about how your computer/other techy stuff works just as well as you should know a little about how your car works.

::OFF TOPIC::

When I was a kid (1994~) my school got a new computer lab full of brand new Mac Colors and for about an hour each week we got to play educational games, learn how to type, and write letters but we were never taught about the computer itself. I remember getting very confused about computers because at the time we started using the computer lab my dad bought a PC with Windows for Workgroups 3.x on it. So the teachers would tell me, "You have to hold the mouse button down to select items on the menu when using a computer." Then I would ask questions like, "But how come I don't have to with my computer at home? Why is there only one button on this mouse? Why is the Enter button called Return? How come this screen looks so different from mine at home?" and etc... to make a long story short they never answered my questions. Even so I learned a lot from just being exposed to different operating systems and I wish that this was so for the other kids in my class.

[jonantice]

I blame Paris Hilton

(what she stands for)