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The Generation That Was Born Digital Has a Tech Problem. The Culprit: Physical Keyboard

  • Students submit 39% of their schoolwork from smartphones, and the trend is growing.

  • This issue confronts the tradition of typing.

  • Today, there are fewer physical keyboards, more touch screens, and less typing ability.

Gen Z technology problem: physical keyboards
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Despite their reputation as digital natives, many young members of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) can’t type on a physical keyboard without looking at it, according to a study published by The Wall Street Journal.

📌 Why it matters. This lack of basic typing skills can affect their academic and professional performance in the future, especially when competing with those who grew up with the ability to type very quickly on a keyboard without looking at it.

📊 The data. While the study highlights the percentage difference in graduates between those who took a typing course before 2000 and those who took one in the last five years, that may not be the most crucial difference. In this century, forced practice may replace the need for specific training. On the other hand, the most critical data point is the following:

  • Students submit 39% of their schoolwork from smartphones.

And most of them use touch keyboards. This situation may have its origins in the pandemic. Given the lack of computers in many homes during the lockdown, many children did their homework on their smartphones.

⌨️ Between the lines. This trend reflects a significant shift in the way we interact with technology. Touchscreens are replacing traditional keyboards in many aspects of our lives, even academia. However, this isn’t likely to happen when Gen Z enters the workforce.

The big question is how this lack of typing skills will affect Gen Z in the academic and professional world of the future.

🔦 In detail:

  1. Impact on education. Students who can’t type efficiently may be at a disadvantage when writing long papers or taking computer-based exams.
  2. Work productivity. The ability to type quickly is critical in many office jobs. Anyone who can’t type at a certain speed has a problem.
  3. Technology adaptation. Those who can type quickly on a touch screen may also have an advantage over those who can’t. However, this situation doesn’t appear to be becoming more prevalent in the workplace.
  4. Generation gap. There’s a stark contrast between the digital typing habits of Gen Z and those who came before them—more fuel for generational friction.
  5. Business opportunities. As this trend becomes more pronounced, a new wave of typing courses like those popular in the 1990s and early 2000s will likely emerge. However, they’ll likely have a fancier feel, in keeping with the current canon.

⚠️ The signs. The over-reliance on autocorrection, the convenience of touch keyboards instead of physical keyboards, the rise of generative AI...

There are many small signs that the conveniences of the present may impair the writing skills of those who grow up with them.

📋 The bottom line. While Gen Z excels at social media platforms and mobile apps, their lack of typing skills fuels a future problem that someone will have to address at some point.

Image | Glenn Carstens-Peters (Unsplash)

Related | Gen Z Has an Ace Up Their Sleeve to Make Space for Themselves in the Workforce: Their Parents

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