A new Bitkom study reveals the technological generation gap: While smartphones and voice assistants are part of everyday life, floppy disks and fax machines are now mysteries from the past for most children and young people.
What once determined everyday technical life is now history: a current representative survey by the digital association Bitkom reveals a remarkable knowledge gap between generations. Floppy disks, typewriters, fax machines: numerous technical devices that were indispensable just a few decades ago are largely unknown to today's youth.
The technological turnaround is particularly clear when it comes to data storage: According to a Bitkom survey, around 73 percent of German adolescents cannot understand the term “floppy disk”. The level of knowledge among six to nine year olds is a meager seven percent. Older children and young people between the ages of 10 and 18 show a slightly better rate of one third. Similar gaps in knowledge are evident when it comes to the fax machine – only seven percent of the youngest respondents know its function, while 58 percent of those over ten years old can classify the communication device.
Mechanical classics are losing importance
The mechanical typewriter reaches different levels of awareness: 39 percent of six to nine year olds can identify the term, while among older children and young people the figure is 74 percent. The study illustrates the rapid technological change. “Many young people only know these devices from stories or from visiting museums,” explains Dr. Sebastian Klöß, consumer technology expert at Bitkom.
The public telephone booth, once an integral part of the cityscape, is increasingly disappearing from collective memory. While 46 percent of six to nine year olds still know it, the figure for older people aged ten and over is 76 percent. The mobile revolution is clearly visible: “Children and young people today grow up with smartphones as a matter of course, which, in addition to telephone functions, also offer them a camera, encyclopedia and music collection in one device,” says Klöß.
Musical devices through the ages
In the area of music playback, a more differentiated picture emerges: the cassette recorder is known to 56 percent of six to nine year olds and 74 percent of the older group. Turntables are recognized by 39 percent of younger and 77 percent of older respondents. The “modern” MP3 player as a digital pioneer achieves higher values: 32 percent of the youngest and 84 percent of 10 to 18 year olds know the device.
The digital present is reflected in the almost complete awareness of the Internet: 98 percent of six to nine year olds have heard of it, with 77 percent knowing exactly what it means. Voice assistants such as Alexa, Siri or Google Home are known to 85 percent of the youngest and 94 percent of the older respondents.
Modern wearables such as smartwatches achieve high levels of awareness – 67 percent among six to nine year olds and 96 percent among older people. Older children and young people are particularly familiar with “virtual reality” glasses: 82 percent of those over ten years old are familiar with them, while only 30 percent of younger people are familiar with the concept.
From (fski/spot)
