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No computer??

I just wanted you all to know an interesting fact that I have recently come across. Our company has advertised in Stereophile, some of you may have seen the ad. I have received numerous calls for literature, which we are behind in printing, and thus are still about 4 weeks away from having any. While the brochure will be nice, there is about 10 times the information on the website, thus I have always asked "have you been to our website?" You can not believe how many people have responded--I don't have a computer. This amazes me, as these are people that read Stereophile. These did not sound like people that were so old they did not ever have access to a computer and thus never tried one, nor did these people sound like finances were any reason not to have a computer. While I can't be sure--it seemed to be more a purposeful decision of "I am simplifying my life--and a computer doesn't need to be part of it." Two of the people said they would go to the library and look me up on the internet connection there. I've suggested that to several--and I kind of got the impression of a deer looking into the headlights--just a long pause on the phone. To me it would be virtually impossible to work without a computer--I would have about 3 miles of paper in my office were it not for my computer--and very little way of keeping the organization I need. For most out there on A-gon (who obviously have a computer--or at the very least access to one) this probably sounds as surprising to you as it did to me. Just thought I would share that--any thoughts or comments would be welcomed.
rives

Showing 1 response by kthomas

kthomas
911 posts
 
I certainly respect anybody's decision to not have a computer, but I certainly don't hold the computer or the internet responsible for over-complicating my life. Just the opposite actually - yes, computers can be maintenance-intensive on occassions. But driving around town can be time intensive, going to the library, making phone calls, etc. You can see with all the sites that "get it right" just how powerful and time-saving this tool is and I, for one, wouldn't want to be without it given a choice. No doubt it's still an immature technology / space, but it will continue to get better.

Mdomnick gets it right - these things are tools. Properly used, they're extremely powerful. Improperly used, they're not as powerful and can even be wasteful.

I also don't agree that cyber-retailers are decidely sleazy or underhanded. I have a long list of cyber-stores I regularly shop and the service is far superior to what I get in 99% of the bricks-and-mortar stores I might frequent. Better information, better prices, better selection. It's not there for every category of item yet, to be sure, but it's there for a bunch of things I regularly shop for.

While it may be true that a significant percentage of people will never be hooked up (although never is a long time, what with all the wireless technologies that are becoming ubiquitous), I can't imagine that the people who can't see Rives website due to a lack of computer are in that state due to finances, given what they're shopping for. I suppose they must be in the "older" demographic.

I can imagine people not wanting or being able to afford internet service. I can't imagine anybody not benefitting from having email and Quicken accessible on a computer.
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