By silicon.com, 19 October 2006 12:30
Google CEO Eric Schmidt has joined the growing ranks of tech leaders who are saying the coming generations of tech-savvy youngsters will pave the way for society as a whole to progress.
No pressure now, kids.
Schmidt said techies must not just live in a tech silo but must educate governments and older generations as the knowledge they have becomes ever more important. His emphasis was most definitely on age.
"The average person in government is not of the age of people who are using all this stuff," Schmidt said of tech use at a recent conference in Washington. "There is a generational gap, and it's very, very real."
So let's have no arguments from anybody with even one grey hair on their head claiming they understand all this technology stuff.
Schmidt's words echo those of silicon.com columnist Peter Cochrane who recently said the IT knowledge being acquired by teenagers will spell the end of the IT department within years. Our kids won't need tech support was the implication - they'll be too damn smart and will be able to fix any problem they have.
So are we really living in a society where the young will inherit the Earth purely because they 'get' mobiles, Google and YouTube?
There is almost certainly some truth in this. For as long as parents have required the services of their seven-year-old to set the video/DVD-R/TiVo, it's been the case that emerging technologies appear to have an upper age-limit to understanding. But is this because the older generations delegate these tasks to the young, happy to wash their hands of such chores?
Could older generations now catch up if required or has this ship sailed?
More likely it seems the obvious middle-ground is the ideal solution. Do you want your ageing finance director dictating what IT you use? Of course not but do you really want the tech-savvy, business-naïve teens and recent graduates getting their hands on your books?
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Comments
There are 3 comments. Join the discussion
1. David Bowler
Older people tend to be little slower with IT, not because they are stupid, but because they keep asking awkward questions, like 'How much is this costing per minute?', 'Who is paying for all this?', 'Who did you just give my bank details to?', 'If this doesn't work the way you say, am I going to lose 10 years' worth of data?', 'If this doesn't work, how easy is it to undo?', 'When I am away next month, will anyone else be able to understand this and deal with enquiries?', 'Will we still be able to access this data 10 years from now if HM Customs and Revenue ask to see it?', 'Would this method still work if we had to share it with 20 other users?', 'Does this mean we have to buy new software for every person in this building?', 'Who gave you that CD?'.
Consumer IT products are not always designed to answer or encourage such questions. 'Transparency', 'Consistency', 'Stability' are not the words that jump out at you.
Some young people care about these things too. On the other hand...
2. Eric the Disillusioned
I suspect that the discipline and process control that business has screamed out for from the IT department will have to become a reality as the shroud of mystery concerning IT is removed by a ubiquitous understanding of the gadgets and their use. However, it is precisely because the kids are more gadget than technology oriented that IT Department is likely to flourish. It will just have to change roles from carpetbagging cash for interesting ideas to actually MANAGING an IT environment.
3. anonymous
Is Cochrane et al really trying to tell us that experience has no value ?
In that case we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past ... I still see new code that contains flaws that I came to recognise early in my career - do people learn nothing ?
I guess not if they don't bother to sit down and read Code Complete or its current equivalent.