In the last century, there was a so-called “digital divide” between those who knew how to use computers and those who did not. The younger generation X and their later millennial comrades grew up with the Power Mac, making them power users of technology. Older generations will be supplanted by younger workers who are better suited to the needs of today's digital economy.
But it's not that simple. The skill of using a computer was then determined by the ability to turn it on and enter the system, the bar is so low that a modern person may be surprised by the idea that there was a "gap" at all. Software engineering, computer science, and statistics remained rather unpopular compared to other academic sciences, even in universities, let alone primary and secondary schools. Most Gen Xers and millennials have never learned to code, or even pivot tables, or calculate basic statistical averages.
Over the past two years or so, we have witnessed the rise of a whole class of software that has been dubbed "no-code platforms". These tools are designed to make it easier for users to use computing power in their daily work. This can be anything from calculating the most successful digital advertising campaigns, taking into account any target function, to integrating a computer vision library into a workflow that counts the number of people entering / leaving a building.
It would seem that such tools endow their users with superpowers. Projects that previously worked for hours by a team of engineers can now be done in a couple of clicks through the user interface. This is why young startups likeRetool is valued at nearly $ 1 billion and Airtable at $ 2.6 billion , while others such as Bildr, Shogun, Bubble, Stacker and others are barely living.
Of course, “no-code” tools (the name No-Code is not quite a precise definition) often require code, or at least the kind of deductive logic inherent in coding. You should know how to create a pivot table, or understand what machine learning is and what it can be useful for. You have to think about the inputs, conversions, and the end result.
The key point is that no-code tools are not successful because they are easier to use - they are successful because they resonate with a new generation of young people who perceive their computers and mobile devices not only as tools for research and analysis, but also self-expression.
For example, popular platforms like Roblox and Minecraft, ridiculed for their obsession with children, teach how to create entire worlds using their tools. It's even better when kids expand the set of tools these games offer and get inspired to create their own tools. Many tutorials and online communities have sprung up that teach kids how to create their own games and plugins for these platforms ( Lua has never been that popular).
Roblox is played by 150 million people and nearly 350,000 developers work on the platform. Minecraft, in turn, has over 130 million active users. This is not too little.
Specialized, almost mysterious knowledge in the field of analysis and software development is widely democratized by the younger generation, and this is where a new digital divide arises.
If a few years ago a store manager could (if he could) put his sales data in an Excel spreadsheet and leave it there until requested, then the new generation is ready to connect several online tools to create an online store (using tools "no code", such as Shopify or Squarespace), calculate baseline LTV (Lifetime Value) scores, and prioritize your best customers through marketing activities with basic email delivery services. And it's all reproducible because it's done with technology and code, not by hand.
There are two important points here. First, it should be noted the degree of these new workers' possession of such technologies and how many representatives of this generation are ready to use them. They just have no fear of trying new programs, and they know they can always use search engines to find answers to their problems.
Second, there is the difference in performance. Even basic but accurate data analysis can dramatically improve performance over intuition and legacy spreadsheets.
The second digital divide will only widen. Consider modern schoolchildren who, due to circumstances, are forced to use digital technologies for education. How many of them will use technology after graduation? How much better will they be able to work remotely? Despite the fact that the current educational system is a parody of itself, as a result more and more students will be forced to be fluent in computers.
Progress in many ways is about raising the bar. The next generation is raising the bar for how data should be used in the workplace, business and enterprise. Better than ever, they combine a variety of individual services and tools into an effective method for solving problems. Generation No-Code could possibly fill this missing productivity gap in the global economy, make our lives better by saving time for everyone.