Re: Computer Psychology
- From: Anonymous-Remailer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Brian NoBalls)
- Date: 4 Sep 2006 18:51:37 -0000
In article <0001HW.C122201F008BF5DBF0284530@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Brian Millson <brianmillson@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I have always been puzzled by some of the reactions I have had from Windows
users to the fact that I use a Mac (I don't get the same grief from Linux
users). I saw this post on a forum I belong to (not specifically about
computers but with a section relating to it) and it is interesting.
<There's a choice; if Windows does what you want and you like it; that's fine
with me. But more and more often I hear people who like it less and less.
What I fail to understand is why they won't try anything new or different.
Fear of change? Lack of confidence? > K (Linux User)
<Hi K,
I may actually have part of the answer to that question, though in some ways
I wish I didn't.
Some time ago, not long after I ran that poll on whether people might be
interested in reading a review of Mac OS X, I one day ended up having a long
chat with a friend of mine. She happens to know a bit or two about
psychology. Somehow we got to talk about the difficulties of 'weaning' some
computer users from Microsoft Windows, and the rather rough responses one can
attract by suggesting in online fora that 'Switching' might be a worthwhile
idea.
What follows is a condensed summary of the possible explanation we came up
with among the two of us. I find it both interesting and depressing at the
same time.
----
The computer users of the world can be divided into two distinct groups:
Those, who have never used nor experienced anything but Microsoft Windows in
all its flavours in recent times, say the last 10 years or so. Let us call
this group 'MW Users'.
The second group consists of those individuals, who, for one reason or
another, have at least a limited experience in one or more operating systems
beyond those from Microsoft. Let us call these people the 'Kitchen Sink
Users'.
It may be hard to size up the proportions of these distinct groups, but it is
a fair guess that the MW Users are at least a fair fraction of the total.
----
Consider now for a moment an individual from among the Kitchen Sink Users,
like yourself. You have experienced differences among computers and operating
systems. You have your preferences and opinions, but at least you are aware
that one system might not fit every need, and you have probably also found
that the reliability of Windows leaves much to be desired compared to many of
the other offerings available.
Assume if you will that you have never heard of, say, OpenBSD. Let us imagine
that in a public discussion you complain about getting firewalling and
routing to do precisely as you wish on your Linux firewall. Some nitwit from
Denmark now steps forward and suggest you try OpenBSD for that particular
job, since, in his experience, that is just the thing to use here.
To you this will feel like if you were trying to paint a large room using a
small brust and some old boxes to stand on. Someone walks by and suggest
using a roller brush with a long handle instead. Since you know that there
are more ways to skin a cat, you might decide to give the suggestion a try.
You might actually end up preferring the small brush you started out with,
but no harm was done trying the suggestion.
----
The MW User group is quite different. These people have never tried anything
but Windows, neither at work nor at home or wherever they may use computers.
They will invarialby have learned the hard way that computers equals trouble
and difficulties, since to their mind Windows equals computers.
Additionally many from the MW User group will be relatively inexperienced
people, not haven given their 'choice' of computing platform much consious
thought. They may have had a neighbour help them choose which (Windows based)
PC to buy, or they bought what the nice man at the shop recommended.
If these users have only started to use PCs in earnest within the last 10-15
years, they will often have been struggling to learn how to do the most basic
tasks on their PC. Compared to many from the KSU group they have probably not
been along for the ride, as computers grew from small 8 bit toys and into
today's powerhouses. Thus they actually don't understand in the least how a
computer works, or why something should or can be done in a particular way.
Their interaction with a PC is habit based. They know that if they do
so-and-so, something will probably happen, but they don't know why.
Even more to the point, then these people may only ever have experienced
getting support from a group of similar minded users, people, who have never
used anything but the Windows platform. Neighbours, friends, colleagues at
work, sales staff at the local electro-mart. Even worse, then - statistically
speaking - many will actually never had any access to a truly competent IT
support person, Windows oriented or otherwise.
So in their view computers are trouble. They may not consciously admit it,
but that is all they have ever experienced. Everyone around them, people they
know and trust, are struggling to get the computers to behave. By now many MW
Users will be on their second or third PC, buying upgrades, add-ons, extra
firewall/anti-virus software and more on the recommandations of their
supporting friends and colleagues. In the end none of it really works, but it
sure costs a lot, both in time and money.
And now this complete stranger in an online forum has the nerve to suggest
that they buy another PC (they don't really differentiate), a complete
unknown quantity unlike every other PC around them. It cannot possibly be
true that ZZZ is a viable alternative (for any ZZZ of your choice).
Because, if it were true, it may mean that every support person around them,
friends, family, the lot, are in reality not up to the job and doesn't give
useful advice. To most people the easy solution will be to assume you are
just a troublemaker, since there must be some way to get this machine to do
as intended. Just watch all the ads on the telly. When was the last time you
ever saw an ad for ZZZ, and Bill Gates is the richest individual on the
planet, right?
----
So there you have it, K. Whenever you genuinely are trying to help, based in
your own experiences, you are running a serious risk of raising the ire from
those you in particular want to have a positive impression of you. It is not
how you say it, but the message itself which is the trigger:
"You have wasted X years of computing, Y months of your spare time
struggeling to learn about and Z amount of Û/£/$ on something, which
basically doesn't work. Your friends are incompetent. Now go buy this wonder
product instead and all your worries will be over. None of your local support
persons will know anything about this, but that doesn't matter. It will
magically Just Work(TM)."
Now you will probably also realize why you, like I myself, have succeeded in
converting people within your own social sphere away from Windows: You are
not some disembodied stranger on an Internet message board, but someone they
know and trust.
And that is why I never posted that review of OS X I had in the works: The
KSU group doesn't need it (but might read it out of curiosity), and at least
some of the MWU group doesn't want to know.
(Now where did I put those flame proof smallclothes...)
F> (MacUser)
I think I understand things in a way I never did before though it does sadden
me.
'Bill Gates wants all your money, Steve Jobs want to change the way you
think.'
Brian in Bruggen
What a load of twaddle.
Brian in Buggerin'
'Bill Gates wants all your money, Steve Jobs wants
your balls.'
-=-
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- Computer Psychology
- From: Brian Millson
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