This paper
discusses technophobia in the education context. In the 21st
Century, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is taking center stage.
All the sectors of the economy are prioritizing technology in their operations,
so technophobia should be handled with care if it is not to become a stumbling
block. Since I am not a psychologist but an educationist, I base my discussion
on years of experience in the education sector where I gained valuable insights
into socio-educational interactions. Before venturing deeper into the subject,
let me define what technophobia is, as I see it.
What is technophobia?
One’s fear
of using technological devices and applications or anything that exhibits some
technological advancement features. It’s not a mental illness as such, but some
state of mind that fails to embrace technology. This may be due to confidence deficiency or
just some fear of the unknown. Or is it just some laziness to learn some new
Science innovation. It’s some psychological state of confusion regarding
technology acceptance. Psychologists refer to these people as technophobes.
Signs of technophobia
Avoidance of
technological sessions or devices by the technophobe. One will create so many
excuses just to avoid any session were peers are engaged in some form of
training on technology. One creates alternative traditional strategy as plan B
of the expected technological alternative strategy to justify the value of the
old school of thought.
No one
pedagogy is perfect or water tight. However, one may come up with excuses or
blame games to justify non-compliance with an organisation’s ICT policy. Exaggerated
blame placed on an ICT device to cover up for one’s inadequacies becomes a
slogan of the day. One will blame every device and everyone other than oneself.
For example, ‘Technology does not work because….. blah, blah and blah.’ Who
said that technology has no side effects?
One
discourages colleagues from engaging in ICT training sessions with the excuse
that it never works or that it has never worked. One tries to get some allies to
support one’s stand point so that one is not left alone and isolated. The blind
cannot be left to lead the sighted otherwise that would be the end of the
world.
One might be
too conservative- Singing songs of glory about the good old yesteryear pedagogical
techniques that were more effective than current ones. The past can guide the
future, but the past remains in the past. Knowledge is not dormant.
Why Technophobia
Initial
exposure to technology might make one feel as if drifting away from the comfort
zone into some alien zone. Fear of the unknown. This can unsettle some people.
Check what happens at bank ATMs. Smartly dressed elegant customers literary
shivering and appearing nervous in front of that technological device that is
meant to assist them. Fortunately, in most cases, an alert bank employee rushes
to one’s aid before some conman pounce on the technophobe.
Some
unforgettable unfortunate negative encounter with computers when one first
attempted to use them may have left a mark on someone. It reminds me of a
reflection on the workshop by one of the participants who attended my SMART
Board/ SMART Notebook training some time ago. He said to me, ‘I don’t know how
you make technology appear so simple. I had some negative attitude towards use
of computers because long back I had some frustrating experience with
computers. I had to visit some office in some faraway province to sort out
important papers. When I got there the receptionist could not assist me because
the computers were not working properly…’ To cut a very long story short, he
was told to return some other day when the obsolete computers are in order.
Imagine having to travel the long distance back to his province without
accomplishing his mission. His conclusion then was that technology is a
handicap to mankind not an aid. Yes, it can be a handicap if people want to be
replaced by it instead of using it to assist them or to make work lighter. In
the above scenario, the receptionist had been replaced by technology. The
receptionist in question was supposed to have a back-up plan just in case
something went wrong.
One might
not be interested in attempting to use ICT devices for fear of being exposed to
computer literate younger generation. The feeling that children will laugh at
me if I make blunders along the way and get stuck. But the truth is that
children are very glad to help when one is stuck. They are usually naughty if
you pretend that you know everything there is to be known about technology then
you blunder. That is when they will have a party on you. Ask children to
demonstrate what they know then you will be friends because they also want to
be appreciated.
Negative
attitude towards issues to do with capitalism…. The feeling hat embracing
technology will make some capitalist somewhere richer…. The usual political games
you know. Or is it just conservatism at its worst. In such cases trying to
overcome technophobia might be an uphill task since it involves some political
ideologies, as I see it.
How to handle technophobia in an
organisation, as I see it
Any form of change
is bound to be resisted by some people because it can be deskilling and result
in removing one from the comfort zone. So, change should be well managed. In
the same vein, technophobia should be handled with care of else one is bound to
cause more damage than good.
For elders
who were ‘born before technology’ BBT like myself, introduction to technology
for this group should be in small doses lest they feel overwhelmed and abandon
the attempt. The coach should be a patient person not someone who is easily
irritated by the slow pace or the back and forth motions. By this I mean that
the coach should expect to move 2 steps forward then a step back at times. If
there is some movement forward, the better. This type of adult prefers to be
trained on a one-on-one basis as opposed to group training since they don’t
want to expose their weaknesses to the juniors.
For the
young adults who have not been exposed to technology much because of the home
background. One should try to show off benefits of technology for that individual
and to society in general. This type of people might not have appreciated yet
the benefits of technology because of non-exposure to the devises. If convinced
that indeed technology can lighten their workload and life style, they are
bound to slowly buy in.
For children
coming from disadvantaged homes, I am not sure whether we can confidently say
these children have technophobia or whether it’s more of ignorance than
technophobia since they may not have had enough exposure to technology because
of their home backgrounds. Naturally, children are inquisitive and ready to
learn new ideas. If provided with the relevant devices and guidance, they
easily learn new behavior. It is important to note that children learn better
from their peers, so conditions for collaborative work or team work should be
developed so that they emulate technological pedagogy from peers.
If one
happens to realize that one is technophobic, one can self-correct oneself by
attending ICT training workshops or Online courses such as MG Online to learn
valuable ICT skills. I call this self-counselling. If one realizes and admits
to one’s weaknesses, this can be an important step towards self-correction. If
self-correction is beyond reach, then one has no choice but to get counselling from
a psychologist who is more qualified to handle such cases.
Conclusion
As I see it,
learning does not end. Technology is here to stay. If you do not embrace
technology now, it might replace you one day. If one feels technophobic, one
should try to self-correct by creating enough time to mingle with peers engaged
in technology, attending ICT training workshops or seeking help from a
psychologist.
