I just thought that I would share my thoughts on using computers and telephones of today!!! Something a little bit lighter than politics and other issues. Just my feelings and some of my experiences with these new innovations of today.
It is 2015 and I am 47 years old and unfortunately I did not learn how to even turn my damned home computer on for about 3 years after I bought it, let alone learning how to use a cell phone properly. That is, until 2011. What a lot of younger people of today do not realize is that we(people who are my age and older) were not exposed to any type of computers while growing up. We were not exposed to any in grade school or even in college, that is, if you went straight out of high school. Well, I have to take this statement back. We were not exposed to any type of computer that resembles the computers of today. The computers we had were more like the toys of small children of today. And to tell you the truth, the electronic toddler toys of today far surpass the so-called computers we had.
I went to a Grade School that was extremely fortunate enough to have what was called a Media Center. And if we were lucky we got to go there 2 times a month to learn how to use, what they were calling computers. I cannot remember clearly, but I know, we did not have more than 6 or 7, if even that many. And we had to insert these things that were sort of like a VHS tapes into them for whatever lesson we were wanting to receive. The one, that I always picked, to use, taught us a few words in French. It would show you a cartoon-like page on the screen and it would read you the lesson in French and then in English, as it wrote it across the screen. Then you answered multiple choice questions by pushing these huge buttons for yes or no.
However, to be fair, I did learn from these lessons.Not much,but I can always recognize the French language when someone is speaking it. And I know the words for Yes and NO and I can still remember how to count and how to read and say some colors. However, Dora the Explorer has taught me more words in Spanish than this taught me in French.
However, the whole point is, that I think it makes a huge difference when you are exposed to something as a child or even a teenager as to how well you can grasp it or how much you want to learn to use something as an adult. I am not saying that older people have not caught on early to these new and great innovations of today. But, it just makes a difference. And, I sadly, hate to admit this, but there are a lot of adults who refuse to learn anything new or who even keep up with the times unless they are forced to in some way. Something, that has helped me, to learn to use my computer and other new types of technology are my nieces and nephews and grandchildren. And even my youngest daughter who is 10 and 11 years younger than my oldest 2 children, helped me tremendously when learning to use my computer and definitely my so-called "Smart Phone" that I used to always refer to as my 'Stupid Phone'.
Here is a story that happened to me 2 years ago while trying to learn how to use my first Android phone. I kept having tons of trouble learning how to use it,or so I thought. Every time my Daughters and Grandson showed me how to complete one function of it and when I tried to later do it the exact same way they had repeatedly showed me to later, it would not work. Another thing that the 'stupid' thing was doing was it would call people when it was sitting across the room on my dresser charging. I kept trying to tell them.( the people in my household) it was not me doing this. But,since I was only one step away from being completely phone using illiterate they assumed I was somehow doing magic tricks and causing my phone to call people from across the room.
This madness went on for about a month before I finally was able to get my daughter to sit down with me and show me how to use the entire phone correctly. If I would have still had the option to switch back to using, what they were calling my "dinosaur" phone I would have. But, it was no longer working. So, after about 5 minutes of her messing with it she said "This phone does not work right" "you need to take it back and get a new one". Oh! Did I ever feel vindicated!!!! My intellectual self-esteem (if there is such a thing" had taken a major hit. Because I was doing exactly what they were showing me to do to use the phone and half of the times it did not work. It is funny now!!!!But, then I was not the least but amused and if it had not been for the fact the phone had cost almost 3 hundred dollars on sale, I would have smashed it off of the wall my times over.
But, being that I had no frame of reference to use when learning the new phone, I really thought I was the "Stupid"one, not my so-called "Smart Phone".
Another thing that drives me insane are these automated phones. Or whatever you call these recordings that you get whenever you call a business of today. the one's that make you enter your life history just to ask a simple question or a hard one. I wonder sometimes if some of these places do not deliberately make these things harder to get passed when trying to pay a bill so you will switch to their automatic deduction of your bank account for what you owe each month so you do not have to go through all the BS to give them money. I swear, if a business that I used had a program where you could pay 5 dollars more a month just to always be able to talk to a live human being when initially calling them I would pay it. These damned things are my enemy from hell.
It seems that the philosophy of making a customer feel special or at least respected has also went right out the window with the advent of computers too. I am sure that many others feel exactly as I do about this situation.
Yes, computers have played a huge role in helping mankind move forward, but, as with everything else, there are always side effects or draw backs to the best of intentions. And being that I did not grow up with this technology it has made it even harder for me to like in a lot of situations. Sometimes, I wish things would go back to the pre-computer day!!! Or at least, I wish that I could visit this long gone era!!!
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