We cannot have such an attitude towards computers as you desire unless interacting with computers becomes *strictly optional*, either as a hobby for eccentrics or a skill for professionals. Our society, of course, has been doing exactly the opposite, forcing computers into everything and thus *requiring* them to be dumbed down.
Yes, the mad rush to "close the digital divide" and shove a computer into everyone's hands has done horrible things in the name of progress. It's made tech companies a lot of money. It created so much work in the way of internationalization—translating text strings and help documents—that UIs just remove text all together, demanding users learn languages of icons and symbols.
But there are more options than that binary choice. We all have hardware. Enough people can begin owning their own computer that we take back software again, in an organized way. Those who do learn can create options for those who can't or won't. We need to demystifying hacking, and take back authority from a culture beholden to tech industry profits.
Great post! Need to reread this and mull on my next steps. Adding friction where it's important and subtracting it where I'm a master seems to be a difficult meta-skill to master!
We cannot have such an attitude towards computers as you desire unless interacting with computers becomes *strictly optional*, either as a hobby for eccentrics or a skill for professionals. Our society, of course, has been doing exactly the opposite, forcing computers into everything and thus *requiring* them to be dumbed down.
Yes, the mad rush to "close the digital divide" and shove a computer into everyone's hands has done horrible things in the name of progress. It's made tech companies a lot of money. It created so much work in the way of internationalization—translating text strings and help documents—that UIs just remove text all together, demanding users learn languages of icons and symbols.
But there are more options than that binary choice. We all have hardware. Enough people can begin owning their own computer that we take back software again, in an organized way. Those who do learn can create options for those who can't or won't. We need to demystifying hacking, and take back authority from a culture beholden to tech industry profits.
Great post! Need to reread this and mull on my next steps. Adding friction where it's important and subtracting it where I'm a master seems to be a difficult meta-skill to master!
Hey look! Facebook reads my Substack! 🤩