Communications and Computer Phobia

While sheer volume can sometimes be a deterrent to learning about personal computers, what happens after a person begins the educational process can also bring things to an exasperating halt.
This is largely due to:
The language and jargon associated with computers
The fact that software and other instruction manuals are written almost as an afterthought, and represent the last priority for most manufacturers.
If there is one factor that can be cited for scaring people the most about computers, it is probably the language. Faced with an almost incomprehensible array of jargon and acronyms, many turn back convinced they can never learn about the world of computers. “I remember the first time I ever picked up a computer publication,” a manager recalls. “I started flipping through the pages and seeing words like baud and modem and RAM. The first thought that came to my mind was ‘this isn’t English.” “I went to a seminar put on by a local professional group,” says an accountant. “They brought in a consultant to explain how computers could help us in our businesses. Within five minutes he had used at least half a dozen words I had never heard before. I was totally lost and left thinking that I would never have a computer because no one would ever be able to explain one to me.” “The meetings I dread the most,” confides a personnel director, “are the ones with data processing. They start talking about disk space and bytes, coupling and buffers. They throw the words at you like a rapid fire gun. I might as well be listening to a Martian for all I understand.”
For a lot of users, computerize probably does sound a lot like Mongolian. Yet, having a basic understanding and knowledge of computer terms and jargon is essential to working with a personal computer, because so much of it has found its way into everyday usage and become a part of the language itself. There are those who also charge data processing with using the vocabulary to their own benefit, beating down any opposition with a barrage of “techno speak” that can leave the uninitiated churning in its wake. “If they don’t know what we’re talking about,” confided one data processing manager, “they aren’t going to put up too loud a fight.”That same tactic seems to have found its way into the battle to keep personal computers out of some organizations. “When people come and ask for a personal computer,” an information center manager stated, “I just start asking them how they want it configured. You know, how many K of memory, whether they want floppy or hard disk, an internal or external modem, expansion boards, color graphic card, tape back-up, emulation capabilities. Most of them just sit there staring at me. Then they get up and leave and not too many come back.”Whether they like it or not, a great many people will have to become computer conversant just to hold their own. Training can contribute. a great deal to this process by making sure that people have access to as much of the terminology as possible, and that it is properly defined on a level they can understand.For those involved in computer training outside of data processing this means a process of self-education and a willingness to stand up and ask what something means. Those within data processing need to have a greater empathy for the nontechnical user, and to be prepared to explain everything no matter how rudimentary that might be.During a presentation not long ago, data processing staff members were using terms they were thoroughly familiar with. The audience, who didn’t know a bit from a byte, was quickly lost. In the past such groups suffered in silence or found ways to excuse themselves and never return. This group turned on the presenters, asking questions about basic definitions and demanding explanations that left the presenters flustered and unable to continue. Another user revolt occurred at a professional gathering of trainers. One of the presentations, entitled “Computer Literacy for Beginners,” was billed as a guide to understanding the terminology. The consultant making the presentation promised to explain all the jargon, but within the first five minutes had used two or three terms that the audience was obviously unfamiliar with. Finally, one man stood up. “You promised to explain computers in terms we could understand, but you’ve already thrown jargon at us without telling us what it means. Can’t anyone describe these things in plain English?” As he finished, the audience broke into applause. People will begin speaking up more and more in their quest to understand and as they do, there will be an increasing demand not only for more user-friendly resources, but also for people who can communicate clearly.

 

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