Is it true that the youth are less computer savvy?

Question

I am 11 and I just got an iPod today, and I already can put music on it and can work it like I've had it for years! I also have a laptop where I can do anything and fix anything on it! Sometimes my parents even ask ME for tech help! Is it because I have grown up with computers, or am I smarter? I also have tons of email and accounts! I even am a graphic designerfor neopets! (That means I can code graphics!). I am asking this because I heard in various magazines, people, Television, and the internet that the youth are less computer savvy because they started out with computers much earlier than their elders & parents! If this is true, than I am definately teaching my children how to work technology at an early age!

Also, I will pick best answer due to the odds of people, and the most detaild answer will get it!

Kelly, are you saying that I am posing as an 11 year old? I never would do that. In fact, I even sometimes have to do the opposite to do my JOB! I was just trying to detect if its just me and a small group of people who are as good as I am!

Erm... my jab is running a website with free graphics. not much of a job. I just call it a job because I have to hire staff!

Answer 1

from the questions asked here on yahoo, you are an exception, most of the younger people don.t take the time even do searches on subjects they have trouble with. And they have no idea of the mechanics of computing, just know how to turn it on. Keep up the good work and make yourself curios as what is happening around you.

Answer 2

The earlier the netter. My grandson is 5 and uses the computer like a pro. Also, he plays PsP and wins a lot of games beating my 14 year old grandson who is a wiz himself.

Answer 3

Youth are *more* computer savvy for all the reasons you stated. They do apparently need to work on their language skills. ;)

UPDATE: An 11-year-old with a job? Somebody call child services.

Answer 4

FROM MY OBSERVATIONS ITS JUST THE OPPOSITE.


Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 82:3-4



GOD BLESS

Answer 5

Hell yea! because we got pcs, games consoles, mobile phones rite after we were born lol. while older people had to w8 years for it to come out i guess.

Answer 6

December 22, 2005

Virtual Teen Entrepreneurs
I'm not a gamer, but I am pretty fascinated by the whole virtual world concept. My husband was a beta tester for one of the Star Wars games and I thought the idea of being a Wookie sounded kind of fun. I think I've blogged here before that my secret fear is becoming an Everquest junkie (I loved the LOTR movies that much). I read a novel years ago by Marge Piercy called "He, She and It" that was my first introduction to the concept of virtual reality. So when the folks at Teen Second Life got in touch, I thought what they are doing as far as letting teens create their own virtual worlds internationally sounded really cool. What follows is an email interview I did with Robin Harper, Senior Vice President, Community and Support, at Teen Second Life.

Ypulse: What kinds of teens are playing Teen Second Life? (how are they different from the teens who play WOW)? Do teens have to be fairly tech savvy to build and script in Teen Second Life?

Robin Harper: Our audience for Teen Second Life ranges in age from 13-17, with the largest concentration being right around the middle at 15 years old. Our population is comprised of about 75% males, 25% females. Teen Second Life residents come from about 13 countries across the globe, with the largest percentage from North America and then next largest from the UK. Our international reach has been somewhat restricted by the limited hours that Second Life Teen has been "open" on a daily basis, but effective December 31, we'll be open 24 hours and expect to see more international participation then. In describing the residents, I'd say that Teen Second Life residents are creative, collaborative and interested in self_expression on a level not afforded by other MMOs, blogs or podcasts. They are teens who don't need to be spoon-fed an experience and are excited by the opportunity to become Community Leaders, Entrepeneurs, Game Designers, DJs and Socialites. They create and sell their own fashions, vehicles, tools and toys in their own clubs, castles and cities...And make real-life money doing it.

Newsletter readers: Please come to Ypulse.com for the interview.

YP: How do you prevent adults from posing as teens?

RH: We have put in place registration and customer support tools that prevent adults from entering Teen Second Life, but perhaps the most effective method for ensuring that the environment remains "teens only" is the pride and possessiveness we encourage in our residents. It's THEIR grid and they know that Approved Adults enter only with advanced notice and are clearly labeled as such. They tolerate nothing less and report any transgressions according to our community standards.

YP: What role, if any, do sponsors play?

RH: Currently, Teen Second Life has no official sponsors – our goal is to keep the environment free from outside advertisements and give teens the opportunity to create the virtual world of their imagination. We will be teaming up with various non-profit organizations who can offer unique opportunities, contests, and diverse cultural experiences to the residents.

YP: What are some of the coolest things teenagers have created in Teen Second Life?

RH: Teen Second Life residents have created profitable businesses like extensive shopping malls and the product lines to fill them, second hand stores to re-sell virtual goods and service industries to help the less-computer savvy in scripting and other skills. Some create their own buildings or businesses while others meet friends through Teen Second Life and form corporations. One team created their own Role Playing Game for residents, while another develops addictive puzzle games. There are floating castles in the clouds, secret underground lairs and packed nightclubs. Some teens create their own photorealistic skins to wear, while others prefer stomping though the cities as giant mechs.

YP: How much time on average do teens spend in the game/community?

RH: There is quite a range of usage patterns, but on average, it’s about 10 hours/week. Some teens come to Teen Second Life for a few hours on the weekend to hang out with friends and dance or just chat on the beach, while others spend several hours a day building and scripting their empires, making as much as US$200 a month in the process.

YP: What are some of the educational benefits of playing? Do any teachers use this game?

RH: Residents can take classes in-world to learn Second Life's powerful building and scripting tools which translate, directly in some cases, to professional 3D design tools and scripting languages used by software companies, web developers and film studios. Second Life encourages educators to use the platform as a tool for their students, and for the benefit of the residents. We anticipate that teachers will eventually use Teen Second Life much like university professors use our Campus Second Life program, where they can incorporate Second Life's open environment into the curriculum in a variety of ways. In the meantime, some of our residents have found ways to incorporate Teen Second Life into their real life school projects – one resident has told us that she recently used her friends as characters in a posed photoshoot for a storybook project in her English class.

YP: What else do you think Ypulse readers should know?

RH: Teen Second Life gives teens an opportunity to create the world they want to see. It's a creative tool and scripting platform as well as a social experience and a means of self expression unlike anything else available.

Answer 7

♥ ♥ no, the older people are less savvy ♥ ♥