When Technology Fails . But many users find it difficult to set up these devices and frustrating when they break. And many users of various devices and services encounter breakdowns from time to time. Specifically: 4. 4% of those with home internet access say their connection failed to work properly for them at some time in the previous 1. Blackberries, Palm Pilots or other personal digital assistants say they have encountered a problem with their device at some time in the previous 1. Pod or MP3 player say their devices have not worked properly at some time in the prior year. Respondents from all demographic groups who own a certain device are about equally likely to have that device fail, but younger cell phone owners are significantly more likely than seniors to have their cell phones break: 3. How did people deal with tech breakdowns? Some 1. 5% of those experiencing problems with any of the five devices or services listed above said they were unable to fix the problem. However, the majority of users found solutions in a variety of ways: 3. Users whose technology had failed also reported a mix of emotions during the course of trying to solve the problem: 7. This data memo is based on a survey of 2,0. October 2. 4, 2. 00. December 2, 2. 00. Some 7. 34 respondents in the survey were technology users who had at least one device fail in the past year. Electricity was new once, too. It is often the case that new technologies become popular well before the technology itself is understood by the general public: as these technologies gain traction, it is not always intuitive for new users to know how to use them, much less fix them when they break. And there are always some users who catch on faster than others to new technology. A new technology becomes mainstream at the time that it becomes easily accessible, affordable, and usable to the general population. Electricity caught on in America around 1. The telephone was invented in 1. America until the early 1. And, while the first American patent for photography was issued for an early version of the camera in 1. Nowadays, we are born under bright lights, and flipping the switch when it is dark seems to us common sense. But just over 1. 00 years ago, no one had ever seen light that was not also fire or electricity that was not lightning or static. When the Edison light bulb was introduced in 1. People stared in awe, and some fell to their knees in wonder, as the court house in small- town Wabash, Indiana, put on one of the first displays of harnessed electric light. When the telephone was taking off in homes in the early 1. Instructions given by telephone companies ranged from technical directions, such as speaking directly into the mouthpiece, to proper etiquette, such as avoiding banging the receiver when hanging up. When Technology Fails.pdf. When Technology Fails - download at 4shared. When Technology Fails Neil Schlager * Free eBook Download: When Technology Fails Neil Schlager * Download or Read Online eBook when technology fails neil schlager. When Technology Fails Free PDF. Provides information that will help the average person prepare for the uncontrollable forces and events. Decide: When technology fails. Either allow a short time to fix things and resume, or Decide to move forward without the technology. The first mass- marketed camera, “the Brownie” was developed in 1. George Eastman, the founder of Kodak. The Brownie was the first camera that was truly marketable to the public for two main reasons: it was easy to use and extremely affordable. Unlike its predecessors that had bulky equipment and technical processing requirements, the Brownie could be held in the hand, took a snapshot with the press of a button, and was loaded with film that could hold up to 1. The camera initially cost just $1. Because the technology was simple and affordable, anyone, not just professionals, could take photographs – without knowing the slightest about lenses or film. Most Americans probably still do not know the science behind the flip of a light switch. But they probably know that when the lights are out to check the breaker, and, when the breaker fails to fix the problem, to call the electric company. Nearly all Americans know how to pick up a receiver and dial a seven- digit combination of numbers, but most do not know how those numbers add up to connect their phone with another phone across the country. Similarly, the amateur photographer wielding a point- and- shoot digital camera probably does not fully grasp the physics behind the lenses inside, but he probably knows how to aim and press a button. But when the line is dead or a camera fails to click, many users are likely to contact the telephone company or take the camera to a repair shop. So where would computers, cell phones, Blackberries, MP3 players and the internet fit in to this picture? Do owners know enough about their Blackberries to fix the devices themselves when they break? Do users know enough about what goes on inside their computers to even know when they need a checkup? Could Americans still get the information they need, or be able to communicate as easily with their friends and family, if their cell phones broke or their internet connection failed? Mix of solutions, reactions to failed devices. A home internet connection is the technology most likely to fail, with 4. Computers are the second most common device to fail, followed by cell phones, Blackberries and i. Pods. PDAs and MP3 players are the devices least likely to have failed in the past year, and of owners who had multiple devices fail, very few reported that their Blackberries or i. Pods had been the device to fail most recently. All demographic groups are about equally likely to have certain devices fail them, though seniors who own cell phones are significantly less likely than younger cell phone owners to have problems with their cell phones. Just 1. 8% of cell phone owners 6. Seniors are not as exclusively reliant on their cell phones as younger owners, and so they may have less wear and tear on their phones than do younger users who are more likely to experience cell phone failure. Significantly more seniors than 1. Fully 7. 9% of senior cell phone owners also have regular phones, while just 3. While over one- third (3. Some 1. 5% of those who had devices fail were unable to fix the problem. Men (3. 3%) were significantly more likely than women (2. Adults 5. 0 years old and older were much more likely to contact user support for help, but otherwise age did not significantly affect how a respondent fixed his device. Different devices, different solutions. The device that failed did, however, seem to play a role in the respondents’ chosen solutions, and the majority of respondents chose either to fix the device on their own or to contact user support for help. While fixing a device on one’s own significantly trailed contacting user support as the most popular solution to device failure, those with computer, internet and cell phone problems were equally likely to fix their devices in this way. Those who had their computers fail most recently were equally likely to fix it themselves as they were to contact user support for help (2. Some 4. 5% of those with internet failure and 4. Some 1. 5% of all technology users with failed devices fixed the problem with help from family or friends, and those with computer (1. Cell phones were the device least likely to be fixed, as nearly one- fourth (2. Some 1. 9% of those with broken computers reported not being able to fix their computers, while significantly fewer were left without internet (7%). Put another way, while 7. When a home internet connection fails, broadband may be trickier to fix than dial- up without help from customer support. Based on those who reported a failed home internet connection, broadband users were much more likely to seek user support for help (4. The problems, however, were equally likely to be fixed, with just 6% of dial- up users and 7% of broadband users unable to fix the problem. The number of devices that failed a respondent in the past 1. Those who had one device fail were equally likely as those who had two or three problems to try to fix it themselves, for example, or to seek help from customer support. Reactions to tech failure related to users’ solutions as well as their ease with technology During the course of trying to fix their broken technology, respondents reported a variety of attitudes, not all of them stemming from frustration. The majority (7. 2%) of respondents said they were “confident” that they were on the right path during the course of trying to solve the problem. Fewer respondents harbored more negative feelings about fixing their devices: about half (4. Regardless of whether respondents had their computers, cell phones or internet connections fail, they were equally likely to feel discouraged, confused, confident or impatient during the course of trying to fix the problem. Respondents’ emotional reactions were, however, related to the solutions they chose. Fully 8. 2% of fix- it- yourselfers said they were confident, which is also significantly more than respondents who got help from friends or family (6. Respondents who fixed their broken technology themselves were also significantly less likely to report being confused than those who found other solutions or were unable to fix their devices. Some 2. 9% of fix- it- yourselfers reported being confused, compared with 4. Adults who contacted user support for help were significantly more likely to report being confident or impatient, rather than discouraged or confused, during the course of trying to solve the problem. At the same time, those who were unable to fix their devices and those who got help from friends or family were the groups most likely to report being discouraged during the course of trying to solve the problem. A technology user’s experience and ease with new technologies may play a role in his chosen solution as well as in his attitude during the course trying to solve the problem. Adults who admitted that they need help setting up or learning how to use a new device (4. Those tech users who need help with new devices are also significantly more likely to feel confused (5. The 5. 2% of tech users who are comfortable learning to use new devices on their own are more likely to be independent and confident device fixers. Some 3. 5% of this group, compared with 1.
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