New programmers want to learn. However, they want to learn using the path of least resistance (who wouldn't?). SO is universally known by everyone as the place where experts gather.
So why do newbies choose to ask questions on SO? Ultimately because they see it as the path of least resistance to accomplishing their goal of [learning, homework, etc.]:
- Why read a book on C++ when you just need to know how to do that one specific thing and an expert could give you a targeted response?
- Why wrestle for hours with compiler messages when an expert can solve it in 2 seconds?
- Talking to your teacher or professor is scary, vulnerable, and the very thought might make you anxious. Much more comfortable to ask an internet stranger!
- Homework is due tomorrow, it's too late to ask the teacher for help! Time to ask SO, there's no time for anything else.
- My programming school/teacher/course is complete garbage. Or I'm attempting to self-learn without formal courses. Time to lean on SO as a crutch to help me through.
However, this is a problem because it creates a power dynamic. Professionals want to help and get help from other professionals. Throw newbies in the mix and they are essentially a parasite - they want help from professionals and can't give anything back (yet).
Honestly, I think one solution is to put asking questions behind a paywall or rep wall. People can still read everything for free, but to ask a question you need to either pony up or be a contributing member of the community. This would make a lot of newbies reconsider asking a question on SO because it's like: "Hmm, I guess I could ask SO as a last resort, but maybe... I could put in a few more hours of effort or ask my teacher, which are free" This in turn would significantly reduce low effort newbie burden on the community and encourage the newbies to visit the sources of knowledge they ought to be going to in the first place.
This is all based on my own anecdotal observations, but I never asked a question on SO until I was a working professional. I used SO all the time in school, but read only - I leaned on my high school teacher and college TAs mainly when I needed help.
I think to a degree it's also: Stack Overflow killed many of the other spaces you could have asked for help before. Hand-holding a beginner is easier if you can go back-and-forth, e.g. in a forum, but those mostly died out because lots of traffic went to SO (also a general shift away from forums in general, but I believe SO vastly accelerated that for programming topics).
New programmers want to learn. However, they want to learn using the path of least resistance (who wouldn't?). SO is universally known by everyone as the place where experts gather.
So why do newbies choose to ask questions on SO? Ultimately because they see it as the path of least resistance to accomplishing their goal of [learning, homework, etc.]:
- Why read a book on C++ when you just need to know how to do that one specific thing and an expert could give you a targeted response?
- Why wrestle for hours with compiler messages when an expert can solve it in 2 seconds?
- Talking to your teacher or professor is scary, vulnerable, and the very thought might make you anxious. Much more comfortable to ask an internet stranger!
- Homework is due tomorrow, it's too late to ask the teacher for help! Time to ask SO, there's no time for anything else.
- My programming school/teacher/course is complete garbage. Or I'm attempting to self-learn without formal courses. Time to lean on SO as a crutch to help me through.
However, this is a problem because it creates a power dynamic. Professionals want to help and get help from other professionals. Throw newbies in the mix and they are essentially a parasite - they want help from professionals and can't give anything back (yet).
Honestly, I think one solution is to put asking questions behind a paywall or rep wall. People can still read everything for free, but to ask a question you need to either pony up or be a contributing member of the community. This would make a lot of newbies reconsider asking a question on SO because it's like: "Hmm, I guess I could ask SO as a last resort, but maybe... I could put in a few more hours of effort or ask my teacher, which are free" This in turn would significantly reduce low effort newbie burden on the community and encourage the newbies to visit the sources of knowledge they ought to be going to in the first place.
This is all based on my own anecdotal observations, but I never asked a question on SO until I was a working professional. I used SO all the time in school, but read only - I leaned on my high school teacher and college TAs mainly when I needed help.