Professor: ‘Lost generation’ of young people lack skills to ‘make do and mend’
People under the age of 40 belong to a “lost generation” who lack older generations’ abilities to “make do and mend” when things go wrong with household gadgets and appliances, according to an engineering professor from the British University of Manchester.
Radio Frequency Engineering Professor Danielle George is decrying a youthful lack of technical know-how as a part of a series of lectures aimed at inspiring a newfound interest in engineering in the Western world.
“We’ve got a lost generation that has grown up with factory electronics that just work all of the time,” she said in remarks quoted by The Telegraph.
“All of these things in our home do seem to work most of the time and because they don’t break we just get used to them. They have almost become like Black Boxes which never die. And when they do, we throw them away and buy something new.”
Instead of pervasive attitudes toward discarding faulty gadgets, George believes young people — and society as a whole — would benefit greatly from learning to fix or repurpose damaged goods. A few pioneers, she notes, have already begun setting an example.
“[T]here is now a big maker community who are thinking hard about what we do with all of these gadgets. They are remaking and repurposing things,” she said.
The professor also notes that, with knowledge at their fingertips, today’s youth are in a better position than ever to join that movement.
“Today’s generation of young people are in a truly unique position. The technology we use and depend on every day is expanding and developing at a phenomenal rate and so our society has never been more equipped to be creative and innovative,” she said.
The benefits of tinkering, she contends, extend far beyond reversing the throwaway attitude becoming enshrined in modern society.
“If we all take control of the technology and systems around us, and think creatively, then solving some of the world’s greatest challenges is only a small step away,” she said. “I believe everyone has the potential to be an inventor.”
George’s remarks came during the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, which have taken place in London every year since 1825.
If you’re interested in learning how to become handier with your broken gadgets — or you want to increase your DIY cred — here are just a few of the helpful references available online:
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