[kimthecatlover]

I have a hard time understanding why some people fear computers. I don't think it's just a mental health thing...A lot of people I talk to say computers intimidate them...why? I wonder if it's because they never used a PC, they had a bad experience with computers or technology, or they think a computer is supercomplicated and that you have to be a math or tech whiz to use them? I've been using computers since 1988, and I find it fun and also very fascinating how I can do so much with one little machine...is it what people can do or access with a computer that some people are wary of?

[wisewoman]

I am not afraid of them but there are days when I feel like throwing them out the window!

[Greenleaves]

I think some people fear things that are unfamilar to them. If someone has never used a computer before, I imagine that person would experience some fear if they are the fearful type. Then there are the people who look forward to the unknown...the risk takers.

I think this applies to others things besides computers.

[(JD)]

Remember the notorious blinking VCR clock? If I didn't use the computer as much as I do, I wouldn't at all ..it would be too hard to try and recall from one usage to the next..just HOW to do it ( like the old VCR clock needed to be reset with each power surge/outage...forget that!)

I bet many ppl have capabilities on their cellphones that they never use, and might not even know about!

Fear of the unknown? Too busy to bother? IDK...

[AlwaysSearching]

Interesting question...My mother, for one, is completely computer-phobic. She has me send e-mails to her out of-state relatives and friends and print things for her! Then again, my mom is very techology-phobic. Last year, my sister bought her a television set with a built-in VCR and DVD player, and she has me operate the DVD player and VCR for her.

Also, my one aunt, who now has a computer and e-mail, came to visit several years ago. My uncle (not her husband--another uncle) and I were trying to teach her how to search online and use the Web, and she asked me, "Is it going to explode?" if she used it!

In their cases, I think they were uncomfortable because all this newer technology seems very complicated to them. They grew up in a much different time period than my sisters and I did, and, not having stuff like computers around for most of their lives might play a factor in their intimidation. It's new to them, and there seems to be a lot to learn. Also, I'm sure it doesn't help that computers are expensive and they're afraid of damaging them--especially if it's someone else's computer.

[Roy21]

We recently had my grandmother come down from interstate to visit us, she noticed me with a digital camera and asked me what it was, i explained it to her then had to put up with a 30 minute lecture about how computers are "the tool of the devil" lol i kept looking at my mum and sister to save me but they just sat there chuckling quietly. I have always loved computers ever since i was a kid, however i was born into a world where computers were already firmly established in society. So I think its normal for some people to be somewhat fearfull of new things and things they dont understand.

[JustBen]

Some people's first experiences with technology were rough. In grade school, for example, we were trained on early computers and the teachers were freaked that any mistake we made would ruin the school's investment. Because of this, they were really strict and terrifying about what we could and couldn't do with the PC's. I'm not afraid of computers, but I think that's mainly because I learned about them on my own before the teachers could indoctrinate me.

[Azalysa]

Many reasons: Although some older folks enjoy computers (and a quick way to see pics of their grandchildren ) some of it is truly generational. The first time I put my fingers on the keyboard of a personal computer was in 1981 when IBM first introduced theirs and I was sent for training to learn how to sell them. This was in the dark, dark ages of computing. No Windows or point & click (at least in the Windows environment) - EVERYTHING was DOS based. So to do something as simple as compose a letter the routine went like this: (1) insert boot up disc (remember only ONE floppy drive 5 1/4" I think) (2) take the boot disc out and replace with word processing disc (no MSN-Word or WordPerfect yet), (3) when it was time to save the letter, take out the word processing disc and put in a blank disc. Rinse and repeat.

Those of you who grew up with computers have no clue just how cumbersome they were to use. I taught computer classes at a Jr. College - many of them JUST to get people to be able to use DOS to THEN do what they wanted to accomplish with a computer in the first place. You can imagine some people just said "To heck with it!" (Anecdote: My former father-in-law was encouraged to purchase a computer with the selling point of "You can do your budget with it." About a week later, I was summoned to father-in-law's home to inquire just WHERE in the computer his budget was?!?! He couldn't find it!! He couldn't grasp the concept that he had to put the budget INTO the computer first! When he found out he had to do that, he gave the computer to his son!!)

Since I'm a geekette...I was fascinated by computers and enjoyed watching their evolution. I have other friends who all they want to know is how to turn the computer on, send and email, and that's it.

Now my mother's answer is classic - "I HATED typing when I had to learn it at school and use it at work. I don't want SOMETHING ELSE to type on."

Azalysa without a computer is...welll...I wouldn't get too close to her on that day!

[jbug]

I too have always loved computers. I sit in my computer classes at school just amazed that people can't even do the simple things like open a file from their jump drive without help from the instructor. I think some people's fear of the computer is that they think its complex. But since the invention of Windows and its point and click capabilities its great. I too remember all the commands you had to enter to run a file. Last semester we had to open DOS and play around with it. I got so frustrated because I couldn't remember the commands. Oh well thank God I don't have to do that every day.

Jbug

[LMo]

I have an absolutely hilarious animated drawing (gif) about someone hating computers, but it's a little gory, so I don't want to post it here. However, feel free to PM me if you'd like to see it and can deal with gory in a drawing!

[kimthecatlover]

I've always loved technology...I had family members who were TV repairmen, and that's how I got into tech stuff as a kid....our family was the first in our apartment complex to have a color TV..this was back in 1965. As a kid I had radios, a couple of decent record players, and I would read electronics magazines just to see what kind of new gadgets were on the horizon...First computer I ever got to use was an Apple IIgs(the last Apple II family computer made)...My own first computer was a second hand Packard Bell PC compatible...the Compaq Presario I have now is really cool, I got it two years ago this month....I think it's just that some people manage fine without computers, some use them just for work, and then there are she-geeks like me who use 'em for everything...and find it fun.

[Rhapsody]

We FEAR that which we do not know about.... that which intimidates us from with in our own mind.

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

[(JD)]

LOL well, I guess I was never afraid of stuff Ididn't know about...

the first computer I bought wasn't even disk! it was cassette tape and no graphics, except for mathematical shapes...no color.... dos only yeah. I could even program that! LOL

So no fair bashing us older folks... hehehe

Yes, I agree... ppl tend to fear the unknown... and ppl also learn differently from others...so one type of learn how to information might not fit all!

[Azalysa]

Whoa, Sky!!!! Cassette tapes!!! You pre-date my experiences! Those must have been a lot of "fun" lol!! Was that a personal pc or a mainframe?

Ahhhh, walks down memory lane!!

[kimthecatlover]

I think some people when they hear the word 'computer', their minds conjure up Hollywood-style stuff like the HAL-9000 computer in "2001-A Space Odessey" and they tend to believe it....and I think others think of having to go on the Internet when they think of PC's...and the internet means interaction with strangers to those folks...yes I admit the Net was somewhat scary when I first started with AOL, and being a 'newbie' was not always pleasant...but I'm so used to it now, it's great because I can find people who share my interests, especially my love of cars and NASCAR racing..and that's cool. But I understand why people are somewhat scared too, because I think being new at most things is scary.

it's words like "virus", "worm" and "trojan horse" that i fear. it is waking up in the night and hearing my computer dialing to get online! talk about freaking me out. it was a hacker.

my family thinks that they are the instrument of the devil. just think of him, sitting down there in hell, tinkering and snickering while inventing something that is going to send us all to hades with him!! they nearly passed out when i bought one! surely i was on my way to hell in a hand basket!

i met the coolest man ever on my computer. 5 years now and we're still going...just like the energizer bunny. :-)

i do not fear computers and i'm older than dirt. xoxoxo pat

[jennie]

I used to be afraid I would break my computer because I didn't know what I was doing. Then, I learned that computers and programs had "help" files to teach me the basics and learn computer terminology. Also, I was paranoid for a long time that being online someone would steal my personal info and identity.