The Dangers Of Technology

Here's something I wrote on the Micro Mart blog ages ago.

Technology, in its many forms, is generally a good thing. Advances in medical technology have increased the average life expectancy, electronic communications have made keeping in touch easier than ever, and computer games are increasingly immersive and beautiful enough to be considered as an art form.

However, it’s also true that technology creates a social gap between those that understand and embrace it and people that fear and shun it. Although it’s got to a stage where it seems like mobile phones might as well be attached to our umbilical cords at birth, such is their current ubiquity, most of us probably also know at least one person who doesn’t own one, and who makes a conscious decision not to buy one either. As much as you might want to argue the benefits of getting a mobile to them, their choice is a valid one, and comes with its own advantages.

Of course, not every technophobe runs away from their fears. Many, either through genuine curiosity or succumbing to constant pressure from their peers, actively try to engage with modern-day gadgetry. These people need our help.

Unfortunately, as anyone who’s ever been on a web forum can attest, there’s often a strange form of snobbery imposed on those who are deemed to be lacking knowledge of the subject. Beginners are seen as second-class citizens in the online universe, despite the very obvious logic that even the most advanced of tech gurus had to start somewhere (no doubt some form of leveling-up was required).

In the offline world, the technological divide was recently demonstrated to me quite plainly while I was waiting in line at a supermarket. In fact, I was waiting to use a self-service till, as I was hoping to save some time. Sadly, it seemed the people in front of me had other ideas. One woman, who appeared to be waiting for a train, was just stood motionless in front of the machine, with her only movement being occasional jabs on the touch-screen to request more time. She’s not the person that demonstrated the tech divide, but I feel like mentioning her anyway, because I found her behaviour to be incredibly rude.

It was the lady on the till directly opposite her that really caught my attention, mainly because she offered my greatest hope of getting out of the shop. However, she was clearly struggling with the machine in front of her, but I couldn’t understand why. She’d scanned all her goods, and the computer was requesting payment. In her right hand she held a debit card, so she was merely a couple of steps away from completing the transaction.

I watched her for a few moments, quietly willing her to succeed. Although I immediately considered helping her, I was fearful of seeming patronising, and was wary of crossing the invisible line laid down by cash-machine etiquette, which states that you should never come within three feet of someone holding a naked debit card.

When it became clear to me that I was likely to die in this supermarket unless I took action, I decided to intervene. However, as I stepped forward to offer my assistance, she pressed the help button on the screen. Promptly, a shop employee stepped forward, and the lady demonstrated that the machine would not accept her debit card… as she waved it in front of the barcode reader! Fortunately, the act of stifling exists, otherwise there could have been a great deal of guffawing going on.

Of course, most people know what Chip and Pin is, and know what the card readers are for. Clearly, some people are in the dark, though, so we shouldn’t take things for granted. On one hand, you might think this woman should have stuck to what she knows and used the regular, staffed tills, but on the other, you have to congratulate her for trying.

To be honest, though, there was only one thought going through my mind at the time:

“WHAT A NOOB!!!!”