Technophobia is defined as the fear or anxiety of advancing technology. While this can apply to simpler inventions and advancements, technophobia tends to be confined towards advanced pieces of technology like computers and other digital devices.
Technophobia tends to affect adults whom may not have had access to technology as it developed. This can create challenges in overcoming it. It can also lead technophobes to perceiving technology as something complicated and hard to use. Even the instructions may be too much.
In a technology-driven world, technophobia can be one of the greatest limiting factors. Let’s explore 10 ways technophobes can learn to overcome their phobia.
10 Steps to Eradicate Traces of Technophobia In Adults
1. Admit It to Yourself
The first step to overcoming any fear is to admit that you have it. Once you admit it, you can begin picking apart why you dislike something. This will help you rationalize it, which will eventually help you overcome it.
When you admit that you are phobic of technology, ensure that you understand that it’s not a matter of diminished intellectual capacity or ability; many people out there have problems with learning how to fully use new technologies and it’s perfectly normal.
2. Acknowledge the Power and Uses of Technology
Technophobes often perceive technology from a negative viewpoint. They see it as a threat to their person, their families and society as a whole.They often see it as something that will begin a slippery slope where morals, values and even their own abilities will erode by growing dependent upon technology.
To overcome this, acknowledge what technology can do for your life. Look at how it can improve your daily life, your work efficiency and even your leisure activities.Realize that learning how to use technology does not make you dependent upon it. Technology helps you become more independent and functional.
3. Recognize the Purpose of Technology
Technology can often be seen much like the sun of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. People who are not used to using it may become overwhelmed and blinded by the many things technology can do. To keep yourself from being overwhelmed, focus on what you want to obtain from using technology. Answering the following questions may help to establish this:
- What kind of equipment, software or application do you want to use?
- What do you want to gain by using it?
- Why do you want to use it?
- Will it make you better at your job or conducting everyday activities?
4. Take the First Step
The next step to take is to become acquainted with the technology you wish to use. Inspect it one piece at a time to begin understanding what it does.Your focus should be on something you’re curious about in your technology. This will drive you to learn how to use it. If you’re looking for ideas for that first step, you could:
- Open a Facebook account.
- Take and edit a picture.
- Rearrange folders and move files.
- Create a simple text file for notes.
5. Take It One Step at a Time
Once you’ve mastered one aspect of your technology, you should focus on mastering the next. You may be unable to focus on learning multiple functions at one time. Just focus on understanding how one works until you have the skills to learn multiple aspects at once.
When you have repeated and explored one task numerous times, you’ll gradually gain competence. This will add speed and experience, which will further help you learn other uses of technology.
6. Have Fun With It
Exploring how technology works can be as simple as interacting with it. Try clicking and dragging icons, moving your mouse, dragging your finger across the screen in a swiping motion, and anything else you can think of doing.
You might even try downloading an app for your everyday activities. Try interacting with it. The more you familiarize yourself with one app, the more able you will be to use other applications.
7. Ask for a Hand
If you don’t feel confident enough to start learning about technology on your own or to begin learning about more difficult tasks, then turn to someone else for help. Your family members and friends can usually help you with the basics.
If your struggle is with software or hardware at work, then consult your IT support for help. They’re there to help you learn.
If you can’t find the help you need, then turn to a user manual. You may need to look through the index or read other sections, but chances are that it can help you troubleshoot problems and learn the basics of how to use a device, software of an app.
8. Google It
One of the most important skills you can learn is the ability to use Google to find answers. With trillions of pages on the Internet, chances are that the answer to your question is somewhere out there. Google has become so user-friendly that you can type your question directly into it.
Basic technology-conquering queries include:
- How do I restart my computer?
- How do I add a friend on Facebook?
- How do I set up my email in Windows 10?
- Why is my computer beeping?
More advanced queries require the use of Google’s search modifiers. These can include things like:
- iphone 6 manual inurl:pdf
- ”0x00000053” “NO_BOOT_DEVICE” error
- inurl:forum upgrade inspiron 15 5000 ram -”non-touch”
9. Get Formal Training
While some people can conquer their technophobia by learning the basics on their own, doing so may not be for everyone.Formal training provides a structured way to learn about technology. It can help you master a certain skill in ways that are more comprehensive than what amateur technology users could learn on their own.
New types of training are available as new technologies emerge, drastically changing the concept of lifelong learning. We’re “forced” to learn because of the new technology and we want to use new technologies to learn more.Once you enroll in formal training, you will begin to grasp the real power of technology. You will understand what potential it has to offer. It will change the way you think about everything, including some things that may seem unrelated to technology. You will begin to leverage the power of growing trends in technology education that will, in turn help you learn about technology by using it.
10. Embrace the Technology
Technology progresses at an incredible rate. Many people can’t get used to the idea of having portable phones lighter than watches. It’s even more difficult to fathom them being able to process word documents, check emails and surf the Internet. As technology develops, new challenges will emerge. The best way to overcome these forthcoming challenges is to embrace technology. Learn what you can about it. Understand how you can use it to tap into a world of endless possibilities. When you understand how technology improves your life, you’ll go from being a technophobe to being a technophile.
Do you have other suggestions and pointers for combating technophobia in adults and including younger ones – though, it is hardly recorded that younger ones are tend to have fear or anxiety over technological inventions because they are in most cases fascinated by them.