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Several weeks into the #TwitterMigration it seems clear to me the value of Mastodon is not that it is a Twitter replacement, but that it is a gateway technology to decentralization. Mastodon has flaws, I'm not claiming it's perfect, but many criticisms I've seen stem from expecting centralized services from a decentralized structure. It's up to us to try and explain the differences and set expectations for what alternative services can look like.
To this extent I'm really interested to know how the age breakdown of people on the #Fediverse. On one hand it would seem to make sense to me that most people here remember the "old internet" before the centralization and they're here to rekindle that flame of independence. On the other hand the youths are generally pretty up on this whole technology thing. I grew up on the internet and since then smartphones have become even more ubiquitous.
(Please boost for reach)
@mcneely 'the youths are generally pretty up on this whole technology thing'
I try to be careful about the conclusions I drew from that sort of thought. I was talking to someone who teaches computer science at uni and they were saying they've needed to start teaching 1st year students about directory structures because that's not really part of how 'the youths' are interacting with software anymore. It's all searching and curated experiences on smart devices that hide that sort of detail away.
@drV @mcneely I was at an arcade a few years back. A child of about 10 sat beside me at a racecar game. She couldn't figure out how to interact with the game interface. No matter how much or where she was touching the video screen it wouldn't work for her....
That made me feel really old. It reminded me of that scene in Back to the Future II...if you're in my age range you probably know what I'm talking about!
@taco @drV @mcneely Can confirm, Gen Z and younger have zero arcade literacy and have to be explicitly told money goes in the slot here, press here if coin jams, here's how to even TELL if the coin's jammed, press this button to start etc; nobody showed them and none of it was written down (because why write it down when Everybody Knows) so they just don't know.
The things we don't write down and document because Why Bother Everybody Knows are exactly the things that 20 years later Nobody Knows
@ifixcoinops @taco @drV @mcneely whereas my mam (who can cope with tech, but not intuitively) documents every single possible step.
On moving roles, she would leave behind her (physical) notebook of instructions.
I always told her that she missed her true calling.
Thankfully my 3yr old niece is able to use a mouse as well as a touchscreen and likes the keyboard so much that we are getting her one as a gift.
Any recommendations on keyboards suitable for 4yr olds (can take crumbs, spillages etc)?
@DToher @taco @drV @mcneely We just told ours no food or drink near the computer, but if you see that coming up despite your best efforts I reckon the ideal method is several 50p charity shop keyboards so you can have a couple of backups ready to go. :)
My mam does the same thing. These days uses the computer so rarely that when she turns it on it queues a bunch of updates and when it's finally done the interface has changed for no particular reason. Computers: they're shite
@DToher @ifixcoinops @taco @drV @mcneely My idea is a keyboard cover but I don't know how practical that would actually be for a 4yo — my 3yo would have a lot of fun taking it off and playing with it!
You could also consider getting her a small mouse — some of the portable wireless ones are great for tiny kid hands.
@DToher @ifixcoinops @drV @mcneely I suggest maybe a silicon keyboard where the keys can't easily pop off. It's basically one big sealed piece of material.
Search for Sungwoo Foldable Silicone Keyboard on Amazon. It's fairly inexpensive at the moment and I can see it working well for a 4 year old and easy clean where crumbs and liquids shouldn't break it.