Bea V. Larsen . . . .Commentaries |
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Bea V. Larsen is a Senior Mediator at the Center for Resolution of Disputes in |
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On-line Angst This entry was posted on 12/16/2006 5:00 PM and is filed under Personally Speaking. I'm not alone. We are a multitude, those
who have no employer provided technology experts to immediately
respond when our golden keyboards turn to straw. We readily
admit to the level of our computer incompetence, but perhaps not to the
dismay and
anxiety caused when we cannot resolve a mysterious negative message, or we lose our on-line connections.
As the generations line up behind us, and the world changes with dazzling rapidity, the choices seem limited: keep running (and learning) to keep up, or fall hopelessly behind. I need additional options. Some ten or more years ago, without any basic understanding, I backed into my knowledge of computers, by learning how to email friends, family and clients. Proud of these new skills, I moved on to exploring the internet, marveling at the vastness of what I could search for and learn. A joyous experience. Until joy morphs to despair when things go wrong. Error messages pop up or drop down. Printer lights blink. Email fails. Wireless fades in and out. My breathing too, becomes labored. Recently, during a difficult phone discussion with a techie who had to constantly revise his language to meet my level of comprehension, I heard a subtle shift in his tone, suggesting that I was the problem, not the system. His interest waned as he offered me additional phone numbers for others to consult. Despair. Not only was my problem unsolved, but perhaps even more troubling was the intense emotion behind my unspoken response. It seemed disproportionate. Even hours later, my eyes brimmed with tears when my son called and I spilled out the story of the frustrating phone conversation with the unknowable person who had only a first name. His comforting words: A temporary disruption in your email is not just a technical problem, but a social one -- a loss of connectedness, in the most important sense. Was that what brought tears to my eyes? I think so. And, it is more than that. It is loss of control over this magic box which not only represents my means of reaching out to the people important to me, but also now provides the pathway to productivity, to identity. In the past, when faced with day to day problems, the study of understandable texts sufficed. Now, I must try to master elusive concepts, in a foreign language. My solutions: I will breathe in and out and search for an able consultant, who is also a skilled translator and teacher. Or adopt an eighth grader. CommentsDisplay comments as (Linear | Threaded)
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) if you want a suggestion on your search for a technical consultant.|
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