Fatal Error: Why We Don’t Fully Trust Technology

Technology





Photo credit:

The dreaded blue screen of death has become so ubiquitous it’s now fodder for comedy. Tony Webster/Flickr, CC BY-NC

We’ve all been there. The presenter is about to begin, but then disaster strikes: the computer technology fails. Perhaps the computer has fallen asleep, the data projector is using the wrong input, or the mouse clicker has run out of juice.

This is why wise presenters always have a backup plan. After all, our trust of computer technology is not high. But why is trust of certain technologies low and of others comparatively high?