TechnoFear vs TechnoJoy
So how much computer knowledge is necessary to survive nowadays?
A very favorite comedian of mine had a standup routine that addressed the variation of people’s attitudes towards technology and the internet. He attributed those who were enthusiastic about technology and its advances to have “TechnoJoy” and the opposite, “TechnoFear” to describe those who were apprehensive of technology.
Myself, I lean more towards “TechnoFear”. My computer is smarter than me, and what’s more, it knows that for fact. While I can convince it to run the more basic programs, such as Microsoft Word and iTunes, I have little sucess with more difficult tasks such as finding stowaway viruses or figuring out the inner workings of the system to make it faster or more efficient. What’s more, I’m afraid to try to learn anything new on my own. Just like Eddie Izzard discovered the consequences of tinkering around with technology with no real knowledge (deleting all the files, breaking the new toy after throwing the instructions out the window) I feel I would have a similar experience were I to try to mess with something that’s smarter than me.
While it’s easier to rely on more knowledgeable friends to “outsmart” the computer for me, computer skills, especially in this day and age, are important to have. Obviously, the computer is NOT smarter than me, and I realize this. But boy, those pop-up boxes warning me I’ve done something irreversible just sends me into a tizzy of panic.
Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that I should become a computer programmer in order to be able to survive in this highly automated day and age, but I do realize that my skills are subpar for the demands that my career may have. And I would suppose that my position is familiar to many more people, and the computer programming “TechnoJoy” people are still the minority. Perhaps it’s time to make friends, not only with those who know they’re smarter than the machines, but also with the machines themselves.
