Cyber-phobia, otherwise known as the fear of computers is too prevalent in our society. For many people, the fear of computers is associated with the fear of the unknown. For middle age and older people who did not grow up with computers in Cameroon, the evolution of information technology has led to intimidation, fear and anxiety. However this fear is not uncommon and can be overcome. The younger generation has started using computers as part of their education. So the fear of the unknown is somehow eliminated.
The introduction of PC’s in 1980 began a revolution in the world that continues to peak. Today in Cameroon, it is becoming impossible to avoid dealing with a computer on a frequent basis. Computers control cars, telephones and office equipment. Most banking is now done with computers, example sending or receiving money from western union or money gram. Without leaving our homes, we can even buy items from around the world and use the computer to compare prices and shop. With the power of the internet, computers allow us to communicate instantly, gone are the days when a letter from Cameroon to Europe took one month. There is absolutely no topic that you can think of that you cannot find a site for on the internet. All you need is to use a search engine such as Google or yahoo and conduct a search.
With all this advantages, and tremendous power of technology, why do many middle age and older people in Cameroon still fear to use computers? As stated earlier, the reason is fear of the unknown. People who have not been exposed to computer technology automatically think it is too complicated or see no reason to use or own one. They also fear they cannot learn to use a computer and feel bewildered by strange terms such as memory, DVD Drive, boot, port, gigabyte, virus, spam, etc.
Like every learning experience, you have to try things out and explore. By sitting in front of a computer, you cannot under any circumstances hurt a computer or damage it. The fact is, this is a computer dominated society and all new jobs require knowledge of computing. For middle age and older people in our society, the fear of making a mistake, looking dumb or starting as a beginner are nothing but lame excuses for missing out an opportunity to be part of a culture that is mind expanding and invaluable in today’s world. You can eliminate cyber-phobia by enrolling in a computer class for beginners, this will help you become familiar with the idea of computers and make you understand there is nothing to fear but fear itself.
1 comment:
In Cameroon the fear is real. Most big people just dress up their offices with computers they cannot operate. They are ashamed to sit in the classroom and instead spend time enjoying themselves in bars. I hope the government makes it mandatory that every worker must be computer literate.
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