{"id":44230,"date":"2023-10-20T15:34:27","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/fatal-error-why-people-dont-fully-trust-technology-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:34:27","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:34:27","slug":"fatal-error-why-people-dont-fully-trust-technology-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/fatal-error-why-people-dont-fully-trust-technology-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Fatal error: why people don\u2019t fully trust technology &#8211; StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"445\" height=\"352\" itemprop=\"image\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/l_bluescreen.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"l_bluescreen\"><\/div>\n<p>We\u2019ve all been there. The presenter is about to begin, but then disaster strikes: the computer technology fails. Perhaps the computer has fallen asleep, the data projector is using the wrong input, or the mouse clicker has run out of juice.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This is why wise presenters always have a backup plan. After all, our trust of computer technology is not high. But why is trust of certain technologies low and of others comparatively high?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For instance, when we take a flight, we don\u2019t normally have a backup flight plan, nor do we feel the need to keep a washboard on hand in case our washing machine fails. But for some reason, some technologies occupy a special place, where trust is dangerous and fear arises more naturally.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Adversarial relationship<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><br \/><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>We seem to have an adversarial relationship with some technology. The clip below shows a memorable instance where then Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was confronted with the dreaded windows blue screen error message during an important presentation about a new release of Windows.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"445\" height=\"334\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IW7Rqwwth84?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In its day, the Windows \u201cBlue Screen Of Death\u201d (BSOD) was infamous for letting hapless users know in no uncertain terms that Windows had just crashed and needed to be restarted. It was a presenter\u2019s worst nightmare!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But the BSOD was also famous for displaying a screen full of memory dump data in which, presumably, the answer to the problem was magically embedded. To be fair, the screen included good advice, like checking that any new hardware or software had been properly installed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But for the average computer user, the net effect was to increase the mystery of the almighty computer. After all, the user didn\u2019t notice a problem and decide to shut down the computer. The&nbsp;<i>computer<\/i> noticed a problem the user didn\u2019t even know could exist and shut itself down \u201cto prevent damage\u201d to itself.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The clip with Bill Gates gives one clue about why we don\u2019t trust these machines: they are too smart. The apparent intelligence of devices like computers sets them apart from less interactive technologies, such as washing machines or refrigerators. There is a lot of latitude for things to go wrong with computers.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At times people may exclaim \u201cbut I don\u2019t know what it just did\u201d or \u201cwhat if I break it?\u201d in reference to a computer. Most users don\u2019t understand how the computer works, or what could go wrong, and this makes the machine difficult to trust.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Even at Microsoft, technology failure can be mysterious, leading to Bill Gates&#8217;&nbsp;spontaneous remark in reaction to the above video: \u201cThat must be why we\u2019re not shipping Windows 98 yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This is in contrast to other types of machines we do trust, such as the washing machine. When the washing machine spin cycle is interrupted, you guess that the drum has become unbalanced and you need to redistribute the clothes and restart it. We think we understand how the machine works so we trust it much more. It never gives us a BSOD style message that proves how little we know.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Think about it, how often have you heard somebody say \u201cI don\u2019t know what it just did\u201d in reference to a washing machine?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Tech support from children<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><br \/><\/b><\/p>\n<p>If you talk about cars to enthusiasts born in the 1950s, they may regale you with stories about working on the transmission, or changing the exhaust pipe, or tuning the engine. They enthusiastically demonstrate that they knew exactly how their cars worked and how to fix them.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Today, it\u2019s not so clear-cut. Ordinary car owners would not be comfortable working on the adaptive cruise control, the assisted parking system, or the emergency brake assist. Ask drivers how these work and the best answer is likely to be \u201cthe computer does it\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Yet arguably, there exists a high degree of trust in cars despite the extensive computerisation. In their hearts, the enthusiast still knows how the car works.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Just as Baby Boomers grew up with cars, today\u2019s children grew up with computers in their everyday lives. Children today (i.e. \u201cMillennials\u201d) have had more exposure to computers as a percentage of their life experiences than any previous generation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For them, much of the mystery of computers is absent. Because just like granddad working on the cars, our kids know more \u2013 or think they do \u2013 about how their gadgets work. This engenders trust and a lack of fear of clever technology.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So, next time you get frustrated with your computer, find a Millennial and remember that even the experts sometimes get flustered. Even Steve Jobs, famous for his flawless presentations of cool technology, wasn\u2019t immune.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"445\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1-oIL9cLHDc?rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Which does make us wonder: if Steve Jobs and Bill Gates can\u2019t trust their own technology, maybe there is good reason why the rest of us do not!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Image courtesy Flickr\/justinsomnia<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><span>Michael Cowling, Senior Lecturer &amp; Discipline Leader, Mobile Computing &amp; Applications, <em>CQUniversity Australia<\/em> and Kenneth Howah, Lecturer, <em>CQUniversity Australia<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><em><br \/><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019ve all been there. The presenter is about to begin, but then disaster strikes: the computer technology fails. Perhaps the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":59353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44230"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}