I've seen this as a problem for a long time. I know teenagers who have no concept of what wifi is, why their devices work the way they do. On one end of things it's amazing we've reached the point that things just work without us having to think about them. However, there was a lot to be gainedby having to think about things when you used them. I know people who I considered computer illiterate who know more about computers than Zoomers and Gen Alpha.
In the same way we are seeing a steep dropoff in skilled tradesmen I think within the next 20 years we are going to see the same steep dropoff of people who are skilled in hardware design and programing.
At first being a nerd was uncool, then it became cool, then it because a career path and now I feel like we're seeing a drop off of people interested in going into IT. I find that really unfortunate because I was talking with my step Dad a few months ago cars as a hobby is going away and how tinkering with computers is becoming the new "car guy" hobby. He's 87 and said "maybe it's time I get a computer, It's getting so hard to find cars to work on." Keep in mind, he likes to restore trucks from the 60's-80's as a hobby but he just can't get them anymore.
I had no idea how to respond to him, but I find it really unfortunate that tinkering with PCs on a fundamental level is something people are becoming disinterested in. My biggest problem with that is I don't see it being replaced with anything. I guess the big thing now is "tinkering" with social media. It's a strange world we're living in
Good post.
I like tinkering with computers. But the problem with computer technology is that it keeps changing. It's as ephemeral as electricity. Real machines are far more interesting because they have substance. However, the more a device is bound up with electricity, the more ephemeral it becomes. For example, a good pocket knife can last decades, but an equally expensive cellphone is only good for a few years.