Fear oF Damaging The Computer

When they first begin working with a personal computer, many people hardly touched the keyboard for fear of doing something that would cause damage to the computer. People who don’t think twice about slamming down a telephone receiver, or driving their car to its very limits, suddenly grow passive when confronted with a keyboard. From secretaries to corporate executives to the folks down on the loading dock, there is something about a computer keyboard that can turn each into a shrinking violet.
There are two basic reasons for this initial passivity
1. The perception that despite their power, computers are extremely fragile devices.
2. The feeling that computers are on a somewhat different plane than other types of tools, the "gift of the God" syndrome.
Let's take a closer look at each of these observations. The first is a result of the day-to-day contacts that most people have with computers and the limited knowledge they possess about them. From the average person’s vantage point, computers are like newborn infants that need special handling and protection. Most people never see the large mainframe systems where they work. These computers are typically locked away behind security doors, in guarded environments with their own air conditioning, heating, electrical, and humidity control systems. From the outside looking in, it would appear that computers require a lot of care and attention. This particular point of view is often strengthened by day-today experiences that may often be punctuated by periods when the computer isn’t available. In the jargon of data processing, people are told of down time, system failure, or crashes, without any idea what those things might really relate to. Small wonder that when they suddenly come face to face with a personal computer some people are somewhat reluctant to touch it. After all, if the big ones come tumbling down from time to time, despite the care and attention of experts, what will happen when they start touching one? The second observation is that some people view computers in a somewhat different light than they do other office tools, maybe because of the sheltered environment that most people associate with the large systems. Computers operate in an almost mystical realm. Movies and popular works of fiction have pictured them as extending human powers beyond those of the body and mind. We think computers can solve complex problems almost in the blink of an eye. What could take a human hours, days, years, or even decades to work through might be processed in a matter of seconds or minutes by a computer. A mystique has grown up around not only the systems themselves, but also around the people who work with them. In a society that is growing increasingly dependent on technology, many who lack education or insight into computers look on those who can make them work in much the same way that ancient cultures viewed their high priests. As computers have become increasingly insulated, their operations cloaked in jargon and acronyms foreign to most people, many ascribe a certain reverence and awe to everything associated with them. Computers, and those who run them, have come to occupy a special niche beyond the province of the average person. With the arrival of the personal computer, all this is suddenly changing. Now individual workers are being given access to the same power and magic previously associated with the large systems. For some, this sharing of the technology can be likened to the Greek gods descending from the mountain top to share their secrets with their mortal followers. Against these backgrounds, it’s easy to understand why many men and women are apprehensive when it comes to touching a personal computer for the first time. As computers are extended through organizations, it is important for people to see them in the same light as they do other fixtures of the office, such as telephones and copiers. Some of this will certainly occur over time and with increased usage, and can be facilitated through introductory training programs that emphasize or demonstrate the difficulty actually damaging a system. The message that should come across is that while a lot of things. Can occur to the information they are working with, simply banging away on the keyboard won’t do much to actually harm the computer itself.

 

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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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