• youngalfred@lemm.ee
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    7 months ago

    I’ve also found (I’m a teacher) this generation is far less proficient at search. They (generalisation) type a whole question into Google, and read the Google created text box to get their answer, taking it as gospel - regardless of if Google has completely gone off the mark.

    Contrast this to a generation that grew up with needing to refine search terms with key words, who can find far more relevant info quicker.

    It’s hard to get them out of the rut and teach them to be more critical of sources. They’re so used to having what they need served straight up for them. LLMs (AI) are feeding into this more - they struggle to believe that AI hallucinations exist until I show them.

    Again all this is generalisation - when I say ‘they’ I don’t mean ‘all’.

    • Dojan@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Couple of years back I used to help this kid with computer related stuff, and it really baffled me how he was nearly computer illiterate. He had no idea what make his laptop was, no idea what OS he was on, or any of the specs.

      He called it a gaming laptop because he played games on it, but it was a pretty decent school/work thing without a dedicated GPU.

      I’d always envisioned the younger generations getting better and better with tech, but it makes sense that won’t be the case as tech moves to be easier to use, more reliable, and less intrusive.

      Modern iPads are nothing like the BS DOS/98 I grew up with.

      • Thwompthwomp@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Similar thing happened with cars. My grandpa would take them apart and reassemble them. my dad (somewhat generalizing to generations a bit) were really into cars and engines and would do some basic diy. I know nothing about them and don’t care to learn much.

        I think computers are doing a similar thing. Millennials sit in the middle of the adoption and saw it emerge from more of a technology wild Wild West to being central to modern society. We could take the time to delve into details (since they mattered), but now it’s more taken for granted and things are there.

        I guess, I’m just thinking it’s some sort of technology adoption thing that naturally plays out in a “victim if it’s own success” way.

        • Tekhne@sh.itjust.works
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          7 months ago

          I think the situation is also somewhat different with cars. Old cars used to be much simpler to take apart and tinker with than modern cars. Computers and operating systems are still just as easy to pry apart (since the fundamentals haven’t changed since the 90s lol).

          My theory is that as tech came to a wider appeal and became more user-friendly, more people are using it who don’t run into issues that need technical knowledge. Early OSes needed highly technical knowledge to use. Modern OSes can be operated by a monkey. Therefore, their inclination to learn about the computer is less because it just fades into the background.

        • Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          7 months ago

          I would guess that’s it’s a combination of what you mentioned and also the generation rasing it not bothering to actually teach them properly about that sort of stuff. I never learned about car stuff, never had anyone to teach me. Now as an adult I know enough to do the basic oil change stuff but nothing more.

          • hark@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            Oh, that’s definitely happening when the five-years-away promise of fully self-driving vehicles as promised a decade ago make their appearance in 2050.

    • lemmylommy@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Unfortunately this generation google is getting less proficient at search as well. It’s like it treats the search term as a vague idea and any syntax as a non binding suggestion.

      • VieuxQueb@lemmy.ca
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        7 months ago

        And many sites use seo to attract traffic but dont have any content you are actually looking for. And ads.

      • knatschus@discuss.tchncs.de
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        7 months ago

        Let it create a simple quizgame with easy question amd tell it to create some backround info on the correct answers.

        It will claim the wrong answer correct and tell you the opposite in the backround info quickly