Rage Against The Machine....

and I'm not talking about the band!

Episode #2: Computer Rage

By Caroline Agbayani

Self-Witnessing Observations

Discussion

Theoretical Explanation Behind Computer Rage

A psychological view

TWeb interviewed Andrew Thatcher, a lecturer of industrial psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand

Q. Is there such a thing as PC rage?

A. One school of thought would say that this is in fact actually rage at society taken out on objects closer to hand. A hundred years ago we might have seen people get angry at their pens and slam them down – we didn’t call this pen rage. This school of thought would say that we are a very angry society and are far more stressed than ever before. But because society is less accepting of taking this anger out on other people, we now take it out on things: in all probability, you’ve done and said the same things to your toaster that you’ve done to your PC.

Another school of thought would argue that it is the technology itself that is responsible for PC rage. It originated in 1983, when PCs had only been around for a couple of years, by a guy called Hudiburg. Hudiburg wrote down a list of what he called Computer Hassles, and made a hassles scale, which is still in use today though out of date. The list describes a whole range of issues and the reactions people had to their PCs, not all negative, including talking to them. It could be argued that hassles with a PC have lead to mounting stress, which is relieved in a sudden outburst of rage against the source of the frustration, namely the non-functioning PC.

But there does not seem to be direct support for the relationship between computer hassles and PC rage. PC rage might also be due to the changing nature of work. Computers are often regarded as things that are thrust upon society, and peoples’ jobs are becoming more and more dependent on them.

People are also told that computers will speed things up and there is an expectation of an increase in their productivity. So when the so-called tool breaks, they don’t have an opportunity to take it out on the boss, and the frustration is taken out on the thing that is causing the immediate problem – the PC.

Q. So what can we do to prevent it?

A. If it has a deeper social issue at heart, then we need to see it as a symptom and drill down to the actual cause of the rage. But if its cause is simply stress, then we can learn to manage and get around it – though I’m not convinced that this would work totally. If you remove some of the symptoms of rage it will often manifest itself in another area.

If we talk about managing stress, we need to learn to channel it somewhere, as stress is just going to increase and not get less. One of the biggest sources of stress in the work place today is that technology is getting forced onto people, and the more technology we add, the more stress it’ll place on people, so increased automation is not always the solution.

I heard that some popular software was released with tens of thousands of bugs in it. If this were true of a motorcar, the car simply wouldn’t sell, so if you have some sort of software to prevent all these bugs producing problems, then that is definitely one way to minimise your stress.

When you’re at a crisis point, a stress management course won’t help. I think that it’s normal to let frustration out, whether it’s in a verbal form or not. But it’s also true that there may be other personal factors that come into play to have brought that person to the crisis point.

Q. Are certain people more likely to suffer from PC rage than others?

A. I’ve found with computer phobia that though one would think there would be a profile for people who are more likely to be susceptible, there is in fact no such pattern.

One could make generalisations from personality theories about who would be more likely to enjoy computers. For instance, with a Jungian theory of personality, an introvert is someone who focuses on an analytical problem and is therefore more likely to enjoy computers, while an extrovert is vivacious and social, and would probably be a non-computer type of person. However, as I already pointed out, this has not proved to be true with computer anxiety.

There are four groups of people – including those who will not use a computer at all: the low-end user who expects little from the PC, a middle range user who can do many things but not all, and a high-end user who knows what is going on. Typically, the middle group will experience a greater degree of frustration than the last.

Andrew Thatcher is a lecturer of industrial psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand, with a particular interest on the impact of technology in the workplace.

The following was taken from an article entitled "Computer Abuse" on the ninemsn.com website.

Life wasn't meant to be easy - at least until computers came along. Now, thanks to technology, some of the more mundane and time-consuming tasks are a breeze.

But the convenience of computers comes at a price, and depending on your self-control, that price-tag can be astronomical.

A recent industry survey reveals an alarming trend of user-aggression when the computer spits a chip. Of those surveyed, 54 percent say they've experienced some level of computer rage.

At the violent end of the scale, two percent admitted to actually picking up their computer and hurling it across the office. One-quarter of users say they're guilty of screaming or swearing at their computer, with almost one-fifth 'fessing up to physical abuse - if their computer lets them down, it cops a hiding.

Problems such as program crashes, virus infections and lack of disk space are enough to send some users to the brink, and the research shows it's not just the novices who over-react. Experienced operators are just as likely to lose their temper.

A common approach is the Fonzie Principle, also known as Percussion Therapy, where the user punches the computer and, somehow, the problem fixes itself.

According to Sydney University psychologist Kate Baggs, a more constructive way of dealing with computer rage is to fantasise about Percussion Therapy, rather than acting it out.

So, if your computer is driving you to despair, take it outside and shoot it, throw it from the top of a building, flatten it with a steam roller, or use the mouse for golf practice. In your dreams, of course.

The following information and statistics on computer rage was taken from the Computer Rage, Anxiety and Phobia (C.R.A.P.) website.

Experts and employee welfare professionals attribute the meteoric rise of CRAP syndrome to lack of proper IT training. This workplace stress agent not only costs productivity, it also leaves a trail of irrational computer damage and loss of anger control by workers driven to the brink of cyber insanity.

The findings of a recent British workplace study, the Rage Against The Machine report, reveal that nearly half of all 1250 computer users surveyed are constantly feeling uptight about the inordinate amount of time it takes to solve work problems.

Fed-up technophobes are blowing their short fuses in fits of computer rage. Nearly a quarter of the workers surveyed complained about their work being regularly disrupted due to computer crashes and other IT faults.

CRAP-afflicted workers, 40% of whom blame computer jargon for exacerbating their cyber stress, are losing their professional cool with each new software or system upgrade. 80% of the survey respondents reported witnessing their stressed-out colleagues spitting the dummy or throwing spectacular technophobic tantrums.  

The following was taken from Neil Slade's website.   He is a webmaster and moderator that has experienced computer rage and offers a layman's insight about the world of computer rage.

Like Road Rage, Computer Rage seems to be the result of a technological environment that allows certain individuals to suddenly let forth a burst of hostility that would be normally held under control or suppressed.

The target of rage is pelted with insult and injury far greater than can be truly rationalized. It's Apes on Crack.

Rather than just change the "channel", this person feels that "Yes! I will tell this person (me) they are so completely full of s-it, and I will tell them in a way that deliberately hurts them and I'll feel better and POWERFUL!" It is rage that technology has made safe. Computer Rage.

Using a computer, people will say things and say them in a way that they would never say person to person. It is the venting of frustration, disappointment, and failure that suddenly finds a target that apparently can't strike back: One is raging at little dots on a glass screen--- so it's "okay". As in the "2 Minutes Hate", a computer rage delivers a temporary sense of release and relief, but a deeper examination will show nothing is really solved and the source of anger lies within the individual with his/her inability to cope or guide one's life situation.

Involving yourself in such computer hijinks instantly shuts off all higher intelligence that your brain is capable of, rational evaluation, creativity, intuition, and even access to your brain's paranormal activity. You can feel the higher centers of the brain shut down as you get dumber and dumber, adding insult to insult.

Conclusion

So What Does This All Mean?

I recall feeling helpless and lost in my bout with computer rage.  I thought I was computer literate enough but in the end, inexperience on my part caused my rage.  I didn't want it to happen again so I made sure I knew how to logically solve and troubleshoot computer malfunctions.  I did this by enrolling in an ICS 101 course.  This course helped me immensely and I am grateful for taking it.  I also needed to put my pride aside and ask for help whenever I needed. 

In a world where rapid information technology development places incredible demands on humans, we are bound to suffer computer rage.  As our lives become more and more dependent on computers, we need to be aware of our own anxieties with the information technology age so frustration, helplessness and lack of control will be avoided and/or attended to.  Proper IT training, logical trouble shooting and a little patience goes a long way.  Don't be afraid to push the buttons on your computer to become acquainted with it.  After all, you don't want it to be the reverse and have the computer push your buttons.  Just remember, the only buttons to push are the ones on your computer and they are only as effective as the person using it.

References

A Psychological View on Computer Rage from the Symantec website.

"Computer Abuse" taken from an article on the ninemsn.com website.  Link to original.

Computer Rage, Anxiety and Phobia (C.R.A.P.) website.  Link to original.

Neil Slade's website on computer rage.   Link to original.

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