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Computer illiterate people / rant
First of all, let me say that I know very little about computers. I know far more than my coworkers but far, far, far less than anyone who has any technical training in computers. I don’t know a lot of terminology or understand a lot of technology. Yet, I work with some people that are completely, profoundly computer illiterate.
One person I work with can not get how to save to a disc. She will click ‘save’ on a file and then immediately take the disc out of the drive. She then can not understand why the disc is messed up and her computer is wonky. I’ve tried to explain to her that if the little light by the drive is on, the computer is ‘talking’ to the disc and that it's bad to mess with it until the light goes off. This makes no impression on her and she continues to just pull the disk out of the drive as fast as she can after clicking “saveâ€.
Another woman does not understand that minimizing a browser does not equal closing it. She’ll routinely have 100+ windows open at once. She also doesn’t understand that our email system has an auto-complete function for the address. You just type a few letters of the address and the program figures out which address you want and fills it in. This concept is beyond her. She also thinks her laptop is a very big flash drive. She will come into work, transfer any documents on her laptop to her desktop, work on them on the desktop and then transfer them back to the laptop when she leaves for home. We’ve told her that she can get a docking station for the laptop if she wants to work with a ‘real’ keyboard and a monitor. But no, she wants to use the laptop like a really big flash drive.
Oh but my favorite stupid person is the woman who is completely hopeless. This is someone who could not figure out how to add more paper to a printer. Let me repeat, she could not add paper to a printer. She called me over to her office because I “understand computers†to help her fix her paperless printer! She doesn’t understand how to forward email. She doesn’t understand that you can right click on an icon to unleash all kinds of fun options. She thinks the Norton Anti-virus (that starts automatically when she boots her computer) IS a virus.
Mind you, I work in academia. I work with people who have PhDs. People who are subjectively very intelligent, yet can not understand computers at even a superficial level. They think I am a goddess with computers because I know enough to cajole them into doing what I want them to do. Yet, all I know about computers is what I can figure out on my own and do simple Google searches for. I know the things that they have no excuse for not knowing.
Why? Why can’t otherwise intelligent people play with these machines enough to understand them even slightly? Age is a factor of course. However, I know enough people who grew up without computers that can understand them – and use them - well enough. It’s not 1985 anymore. Computers have been a part of almost all offices for at least ten years at this point. People have enough years of computing behind them that they should be able to do simple, basic things. Computers are not so counter-intuitive that one should not be able to save to a disc. Or add more paper to a printer. Or send an email.
Whew. That turned into a long rant / bitching session.
What are your thoughts/stories about this issue?
One person I work with can not get how to save to a disc. She will click ‘save’ on a file and then immediately take the disc out of the drive. She then can not understand why the disc is messed up and her computer is wonky. I’ve tried to explain to her that if the little light by the drive is on, the computer is ‘talking’ to the disc and that it's bad to mess with it until the light goes off. This makes no impression on her and she continues to just pull the disk out of the drive as fast as she can after clicking “saveâ€.
Another woman does not understand that minimizing a browser does not equal closing it. She’ll routinely have 100+ windows open at once. She also doesn’t understand that our email system has an auto-complete function for the address. You just type a few letters of the address and the program figures out which address you want and fills it in. This concept is beyond her. She also thinks her laptop is a very big flash drive. She will come into work, transfer any documents on her laptop to her desktop, work on them on the desktop and then transfer them back to the laptop when she leaves for home. We’ve told her that she can get a docking station for the laptop if she wants to work with a ‘real’ keyboard and a monitor. But no, she wants to use the laptop like a really big flash drive.
Oh but my favorite stupid person is the woman who is completely hopeless. This is someone who could not figure out how to add more paper to a printer. Let me repeat, she could not add paper to a printer. She called me over to her office because I “understand computers†to help her fix her paperless printer! She doesn’t understand how to forward email. She doesn’t understand that you can right click on an icon to unleash all kinds of fun options. She thinks the Norton Anti-virus (that starts automatically when she boots her computer) IS a virus.
Mind you, I work in academia. I work with people who have PhDs. People who are subjectively very intelligent, yet can not understand computers at even a superficial level. They think I am a goddess with computers because I know enough to cajole them into doing what I want them to do. Yet, all I know about computers is what I can figure out on my own and do simple Google searches for. I know the things that they have no excuse for not knowing.
Why? Why can’t otherwise intelligent people play with these machines enough to understand them even slightly? Age is a factor of course. However, I know enough people who grew up without computers that can understand them – and use them - well enough. It’s not 1985 anymore. Computers have been a part of almost all offices for at least ten years at this point. People have enough years of computing behind them that they should be able to do simple, basic things. Computers are not so counter-intuitive that one should not be able to save to a disc. Or add more paper to a printer. Or send an email.
Whew. That turned into a long rant / bitching session.
What are your thoughts/stories about this issue?
Comments
There is an old saying that says that you can't add more water to a full cup. You have to empty the cup a little. Those peoples cups are full, but not because they can't learn anymore, they just put a plate on top of the cup. That plate represents their unwillingness to learn.
Eh. Maybe I'm lucky. :P
You know, in her defence, those big office printers sometimes take a minute or two to figure out. As in what paper goes in which tray. But other than that... *ahum* It will at least take one more generation before the majority of humankind is capable of using a computer, and other hardware alongside, at a basic level. At least, that's what I think, I hope sooner of course.
I find it funny that years ago my dad used to work on computers all day doing accounting type stuff in a cubicle. Yet today he claims that he doesn't even know how to get on the internet on our computer at home. Every time he mentions it (like I need to hear it more than once for some reason) I say, "All you do is double click the little fox and the window will pop up." And he just stares at me like "Whaaa? I don't get it, where do I put in the password?" Sigh... silly old people.
Another time, in the 7th grade, my science told us not to use one of the computers because it was broken. After a month or to someone looked under it and found out that it wasn't plugged in! people need to check these things!
One last thing. Whoever designed my school's layout must be very computer illiterate because the servers are in the shop class storage room. They are covered in wood dust and are surrounded by wood and kindling. It's literally a fire waiting to happen.
Anyhow...probably my biggest pet peeve is when people call their mp3 player "my mp3". No goddammit, mp3 is a fucking file type. Hell, most "mp3 players" may as well be just "music players" since every music player plays at least a few more file types other than mp3.
Yeah, I'd have to say that that is the single most thing that gets me annoyed as hell.
There's easily other stuff I could mention, as my dad and sister frequently do stupid stuff that gets on my nerves, but I can't think of anything specific.
It's also really funny watching him try to use my mouse. He's used to the touchpad on his laptop, so switching to a mouse is a little bit of a change, but my mouse is a Logitech MX Revolution on maximum sensitivity/cursor speed, so he kind of circles what he wants to click on like a hawk circling its prey for a good 15 seconds. This is something I have considered as well, and I think the closest answer I can come to is cars. I can drive to my destination, use the air conditioning and radio, but when it comes to my car not working properly, I know nothing. I'm not quite sure if this is the same level of illiteracy mentioned in the original post, but it's as close as I can come.
However, I agree. I too find it annoying when DVDs are called CDs.
The first kind, when given a choice of programs, will pick the one recommended to them, which really speeds things up. When I say "I'd like to install Open Office, VLC, and CCleaner," they simply say "ok." I like these people.
The second kind are terrible. Every step of the way, one must fight their stubbornness with irrefutable logic. It is tiring. The real frustrating thing about these people is that they know they are ignorant of the subject, and they know I am knowledgeable about it (that's why they're paying me), but they still refuse my advice. These kinds of people become indignant when I suggest alternatives, and can't manage to complete the simplest tasks (for instance, finding the start menu).
I really enjoy the rare moments when I work with someone slightly knowledgeable about their computer. It makes my job worth it.
What's with the "I suck" overlays in the forum?
VLC is crap. MPlayer and CCCP with Media player classic are definitely better.
Open Office isn't exactly obsolete, but I guess you could just use Google Docs.
It's also the most popular download on filehippo (not really that important, but I find filehippo to be a very useful site).
Open Office is used for the simple reason that they can't wrap their minds around an online office suite. They generally only go online to check their email and do some light browsing. They don't use bookmarks.
And yes, I generally do this job simply for the money. Sometimes, though, I have the opportunity to install ubuntu and convince them to give it a try. Without exception, all have enjoyed it and found it easier to use than Windows.
Also, when I say that some clients are stubborn, I mean that they are stubborn even after I explain what all of the recommended programs do. See my CCCP example above. Many people are that stubborn.
Okay, so it will take 3 more generations before the current level of worst computer illiteracy will be all but eliminated.