Why Gen Z doesn't understand Windows Explorer
Greg Taieb · · 2 min read
If I tell you “File Explorer” or “Finder” you know that I am certainly referring to the preferred way of storing and organizing information on a hard drive for several decades now.
However, this notion does not seem as obvious to Generation Z (people born between 1997 and 2010). In any case, this is the observation made by several teachers as explained to us in this article from the site Futurism.
Dan Robitzski
Indeed for this generation born with Google the place and way of classifying information does not matter as long as you have a good search engine.
The most relevant analogy is that of the laundry basket. As soon as the students have a new file they throw it in the basket, counting on a little robot to find and sort their dirty socks (if only that existed in real life).
All this reminds me a little of a subject raised a few months ago in this newsletter and more recently on Encore Un Podcast Tech on the weight of symbols like the floppy disk 💾 and the necessary evolution to support the uses.
What seemed obvious to us (hello Windows Explorer) may seem an aberration for the Google generation and that is perhaps a very good thing. Moreover, it was only in 2017 (i.e. after 10 years) that the iPhone acquired a file explorer. Why?
Simply because we now consume content from apps. Do you want a photo? Open the gallery. Do you want a doctor? Open the Office application or Google Sheet...
It's a paradigm shift full of meaning and ultimately we're getting used to it very well.
So: Do we keep or delete the file explorer?