Electronic Aggression: Tech Frustration Can Lead to Tech Violence
If technology can file charges for physical abuse, then a lot of us (this writer included) will probably find ourselves twiddling our fingers in a joint downtown. This is because the many frustrations that can sometimes arise out of using the different techie gadgets that we own can cause some of us to lose our sense of equanimity and inflict “bodily harm” on our gadgets.
These episodes of seeming violence have even been christened; the term “electronic aggression” has been coined to refer to “all kinds of violence related to electronics”. We first read about it in a feature on BusinessDailyAfrica.com, where an incident involving a gun-toting man in Cincinnati whose frustration over his iPhone seems to have pushed him a bit over the edge, brandishing a gun that was tucked into his back pocket outside an Apple store. He found himself in jail after Apple employees felt like things have gone too far for comfort and called the police.
The man was reportedly so frustrated with his iPhone that he wanted to shoot it. We wonder what Apple’s competitors will make out of that.
It was funny to note, though, that the Business Daily feature only recounted complaints about the iPhone; one other complaint is how difficult it can be for some people to type on their iPhones, specifically those who have stubby fingers or long nails. Yep, if you are indeed in the same boat, then a stylus would certainly be a welcome change.
Electronic aggression is not limited to iPhones, though. My sister once pounded her DVD player to smithereens after a couple of days’ worth of less than satisfactory performance. A friend once pulled her printer off her table and fell short of making the darn thing fly out the window (thank goodness for the fact that another friend and I were there to pull her back!) after a couple of replacements could not correct the “ink is low” warning sent by her printer. We cut her some slack, though, as we had an important paper due first thing the following morning.
This is probably something that gadget and equipment manufacturers also need to consider — how to make technology more user-friendly and reliable enough to give consumers peace of mind. We certainly will not be too happy to spend $300 on a phone and then $200 an hour for therapy!
Tags: electonic aggression, electronic frustration, electronic violenceRelated posts
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