Now, not all people like technology or gadgets; many people have a hard time learning or understanding how "techy" things work; many people choose not to use technology and prefer "the old way". You can probably think of several examples. A common one I encounter is writing address or calendar info in a little book instead of typing it into a computer or PDA.
People have a preference for one thing over another, which is great - that diversity is partly what makes us human! What makes me shake my head and say "Yeah-Yeah!" (usually imperceptibly, I hope) is when someone expresses their preference emphatically as if it's something new, original or significant in some way ... maybe they say "Oh, I can't stand typing things into a little device, it's way too hard to see. I can do it much quicker on paper."
It's when it comes across as a cliché that I get the "Yeah-Yeah!" urge.
Stay tuned for different examples of "Yeah-Yeahs" ...
1 comment:
And a related "Yeah-Yeah!" ... I often hear someone make a remark along the lines of "That's way too complicated for me - I can barely program the clock on my VCR!" or the more recently heard "I can barely program my DVR!"
What 'gets me' is not so much the fact that someone can't figure out how to program their VCR or DVR - the user interface design of many of these products (frankly) sucks! No, it's just that not being able to program a VCR clock or set up a DVR has become such a cliché.
What's wrong with using a cliché? Well, partly the lack of originality and partly it's in the delivery - when someone overdoes the self-deprecating tone to the point where it becomes unconvincing and perhaps self-patronizing.
I believe this encourages other people to (claim to) share the speaker's poor tech skills or their implied unwillingness to learn new skills. Wouldn't it be better for us all to promote the embrace of fresh ideas and new technology - and I don't mean that we should discourage critical judgment of new stuff.
I would encourage 'a critical embrace' in contrast to 'a dismissive skepticism'.
Yeah-yeah!
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