Technologically stupid people

[Jiro]

I figure most of you know how to use the internet, being members on an internet forum.

But sometimes we encounter people who are useless at it. I mean really damn useless. And it's not always just limited to that.

I keep mentioning commonly known shortcuts (copy, paste, save, that sort of thing) and mum has no smurfing idea what I'm talking about. She works on computers every day, all day, so I have no idea how she is this bad. And half the stuff I teach her, I swear to god she taught me. Mayb early onset Alzheimers?

Dad is worse. He has no idea how to use computers at all. They scare him. He gets us to do his online banking. He also held up my portable harddrive and had no smurfing idea what it was. And then of course there's his assumption that I always have to be talking to someone if I'm on the computer. "Who are you talking to?" argh

Anybody you know who really doesn't know what they're doing? Not just with computers, but other stuff too!

[Polnareff]

My mom. Oddly she's a whiz at running every type of cash register there is, among other things, but she for some reason has trouble with opening a web browser on a regular computer.

My dad was the same way with computers, but good with a lot of other technology. Pretty ironic considering computers are pretty important these days.

[Jiro]

I thought of another one! Mum was trying to buy a new phone but refuses to get a touch screen and hates the full qwerty keyboard ones. You don't have many options mum.

[Jessweeee♪]

Ugh, I hate helping impatient people. It's either your fault it's broken because you looked at it wrong, or it's your fault it's broken because you're computer magic and you're supposed to be able to fix it but you're not because you're mean.

[Freya]

I had to show my dad how to copy paste a link. He gets mad at me if I go to fast. SO instead of using keyboard shortcuts I used the long way just to show him what to do. It was irritating. He works on his laptop a lot! How does he not know how to copy paste?

[qwertysaur]

My Mom knows her way around the computer. My dad knows only how to get my Mom to do it for him.

[Mo-Nercy]

My mum always asks me to email some photos to family in China and then proceeds to linger and hang around. After about 30 seconds she'll ask, "well, what do they think?"

She's also awful with the air conditioner. I think we can all agree that air conditioner remotes are probably the least responsive remote in the house, but I tell her all the time to just wait a second or two for it to turn on. Always forgetting my advice, my mum will switch it on, see it hasn't turned on, press the button again, notices it has turned on as she's pressed the button a second time, puts the remote down, notices that the second press has now registered and the aircon has turned off. Repeat. Endlessly.

[Polnareff]

Ah, that reminds me, my mom used to be the one to know how to work the air conditioner, but now since most apartments/houses have a more modern way of controlling it, she gets me to turn it on instead.

[Bunny]

What is worse is when you help someone who is completely computer illiterate with something super simple (like copy/paste) and then they think you are some sort of computer virtuoso and demand you help them figure out every simple, small problem they have until the end of time.

I know my way around a computer fairly well, enough to do your average every day stuff as well as build my own computer from all necessary parts. I'm not the God of Computers or anything, but I do well enough. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head that has difficulty with computers despite working on them frequently. My grandmother, maybe, but she knows how to do the basic stuff. If a problem occurs that makes her computer do things it isn't supposed to do, she is completely lost though.

[NorthernChaosGod]

What is worse is when you help someone who is completely computer illiterate with something super simple (like copy/paste) and then they think you are some sort of computer virtuoso and demand you help them figure out every simple, small problem they have until the end of time.

I have been labeled as the guy to guy to ask for help with a computer for my entire family just because of this. It's awful.

I have to outright refuse to help my parents now because they ask me to show them or do stuff for them that I have already done multiple times.

[Loony BoB]

I find it adorable when a very capable mature person who has a great business mind like my Dad comes to a computer and just looks lost. I guess we all have something that we struggle with. Over time, though, Dad has definitely learned his way around things. Having five kids and a PC for twenty years will do that for you. But there was a time when all he did was have the odd attempt at Space Invaders. Heh. The thing I will always remember when I think of people who are not very computer savvy is ten years ago when Nikki was in the UK for a year and he typed her an email. He was not very wise at the time when it came to where each letter was, but he insisted he type it anyway. He typed out that email over half an hour, tap... (five seconds) tap... (three seconds) tap... (four seconds)... tap tap...

My heart melted at that point as it made me realise just how much my Dad loved his kids. Every time I get an email from him, it means that extra bit more because I know he took the time to type it out. He's much better than he was back then and he's on Skype all the time now, but I know that even if he was not clued up and he was being introduced to email for the first time, he'd still take that 30 minutes to type out that email.

I honestly can't think of much that has made me respect and love my Dad more than that, actually.

[Freya]

Earlier today my boss and office manager were discussing how to get someone to take aerial photos of some property or at least where they could find them. Meanwhile I just google maps'd and found it, "Or you could you know... go to google maps and get the satellite photos... like the one I have pulled up... of the property you're discussing...." "PRINT THAT!"

Silly people making things more complicated and less google-stalkery.

[Shauna]

x3 I don't know many people who are that useless with technology.

[Shlup]

My Pa used to pay me $100 to teach him to email. I taught him at least three times. His partner, my Nana... I don't think I've ever seen her touch a computer. Which is fine 'cause then I don't have to help her with it. She did think it was neat when I showed her her IMDB page though.

Grampa, though, is computer-friendly. He has a Window 3.1 machine, a newer PC, and got a new laptop last month. When he calls with a computer problem I usually help him Google a solution and then he can take it from there. My Mema has her own PC too, but she mostly uses it to make patterns for her embroidery machine. Which, by the way, runs some kind of embroidery Windows OS. Weird.

[Peegee]

I'm always cognizant of the knowledge that the customers who call me do jobs that they are probably competent at, but I would be completely lost if I tried to do it

things like accounting or auditing, payroll (well no...) and the like. Stupid bank

Anyway I have a very simple excuse: I don't know anything about computer I majored in Philosophy!

xD