The fear of technology
Technophobia is the fear or dislike of advanced technology such as computers. But why are some people so scared of technology? When computers were just in their infancy the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was released. The cold hard calculating stare of the red eyed computer Hal sent a chill down the audiences spine. A system that could independently decide that human life was no longer needed. As computers started to become more mainstream Hollywood jumped on the bandwagon and exploited our technological fears. As a result it is rare to see a movie that promotes technology rather than demonizing it.
Technophobia first came to prevalence in 1675 when a group of weavers destroyed machines that had replaced their jobs. From there the fear grew as more people became scared that machines would replace their livelihoods. The situation got so bad that in 1727 Parliment made it a capital offense to destroy machines.
So how do people with technophobia deal with computer related problems? Invariable they turn to their closest relatives for assistance. If you have a job that is even remotely associated with computers you can guarantee that you will be called upon to solve all manner of problems. It's not just confined to computers either as they assume you will be able to magically fix anything electronic.
So are the manufacturers to blame for this? Part of the problem is that in a lot of cases the manual was almost an afterthought. The other issue is that computers have evolved to the point where there is a lot of assumed knowledge that has built up over time. That's why we have so many computer courses, training sessions, help desk operators and instructional books. For someone starting out in the world of computers there is a vast amount of knowledge that needs to be taken in.
So is it really a problem if people are technophobic? When it comes to computers the answer is yes. There are those people who don't know much about them and don't want to know much about them. Within hours of setting up a new computer and connecting to the internet it has been infected with viruses and is being used as part of a spam based bot network. It is these types of careless users that cause a lot of problems for everyone.
So how do we overcome these issues? Should all computer users attend training courses before purchasing a computer? The answer is no. However developers such as Apple and Microsoft can work towards more user friendly environments with appropriate safeguards. Just remember one thing, make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.
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