In "Unpacking 'I don't want it,'" Michelle Green examines why some people are resistant to technology. Although her study did not cover the educational environment specifically, I think it is relevant to the higher ed environment.
First, Green points out that many people who are adept at technology are what we would call lifelong learners. They enjoy learning new things and have an intellectual curiosity that is lacking in those who resist technology. Interestingly, my observations are similar except that many people I encounter who are resistant to using technology might be consider intellectually curious, but only in specific areas or about specific programs.
Second, she found that many found that technology was too complex and associated it with negative images from television and movies where technology in the form of computers or robots inflicted harm upon individuals or society as a whole. Many also had no idea what they could do with computers. They had very vague ideas of what they were capable of. Also, because many of the resisters were poor, they could not afford or did not want to invest in the top of the line equipment and therefore experienced many more problems than those who understood the value of having up to date equipment. I see this on occasion where individuals could not or would not invest in new equipment or software and then get frustrated when they continue to have problems.
Perhaps the most interesting finding was the nature of the relationship between those who are adept at technology and those who are not. Resisters or non-adepts tend to view adepts as having some kind of special abilities and almost magical powers. This leads them to believe that they cannot possibly learn to use technology. Further, resisters knew few people who were adept at using technology and so didn't have anyone to turn to for help. When they did have someone in their social network to ask for help, because they didn't fully believe in their ability to learn, they become reliant on help from their technically adept friend or family member to the extent that that person began to tire of helping them:
If a novice learner is too technologically needy, even compassionate embracers may tire.
This is one of the bigger problems facing many IT departments, including our own. Generally, it's not one individual who continues to ask for assistance, but many asking similar questions. While we always try to help, it is easy to become frustrated with people's inability or unwillingness to try to find answers for themselves, especially when answers are often available via online documentation or within the help functionality of software programs themselves. One thing this study makes clear, however, is that users that may be resistant to using technology are going to have difficulty finding documentation or worse, understanding it. The technical language used in most documentation assumes a certain level of knowledge and many people may not have.
The question becomes, then, how does one get someone who needs to use technology up to speed so that they can with a limited amount of frustration? Green suggests that adepts could do more to help alleviate the frustration that resisters may feel. Also, she suggests that there be more opportunities for novices and adepts to communicate with each other in a non-threatening environment, so that novices can see what technology as allowed adepts to accomplish and begin to be motivated to learn more.
Generally, IT workers are called upon when something is broken rather than when someone wants to learn something. It would certainly be to our benefit to reach out more (as I try to do in this space and in other ways). But it would also be good if our community called when they wanted to learn something more often and not just when they've reached peak frustration level. It's also important to understand that most of us did not learn the basics of technology use by going to some special class. We learned by just using it, trying things to see how they work, and by not being afraid of making mistakes. Much of what's being developed today has ease of use in mind, so while what's going on behind the scenes might have increased in complexity, what the user needs to do to use a system has gotten increasingly simpler. As Sam I Am said, "Try it. You might like it."
technorati tags:first monday, technology, education
