Technophobia: A Writer’s Confession

by | Jul 1, 2019 | Articles | 5 comments

To today’s computer-savvy readers, “technophobia” might sound like a quaint leftover from the 20th century. You remember, right? Back in the 1980s, guys like me wrote poems of dismay about the invasion of technology into the arts.

I still remember the words I penned when “word processors” were becoming popular, disgusted by those who, instead of working “doggedly, making errors,” chose to “process words quickly for loot. Technology,” I continued, “favors the latter/But I say, ‘That does not compute.'”

Ah, the good old days.

Of course, I lost that battle by a wide marginand many more after that. I even began to compose on a computer. And once I became a full-time writer, I graduated from PC to iMac and became something of an Apple fanboy. (These days, it’s a little harder to remain enchanted with them. But that’s a post for another day.)

 

Clumsy, or Just Inept?

You might not consider anyone under 60 to be a true technophobe today, unless they live in the woods or don’t have electricity. However, I’d maintain that those of us who adapted out of necessity can still call ourselves technophobic if we struggle to keep up.

Yep, that’s me. I don’t know about you, but every time I come across a new WordPress update or need to “Google Verify” my business, a cold chill runs up my spine. You could say I’m somewhat inept at this stuff even after all these years, or just a bit clumsy with tech. I’d retort that I’m more a word guy than a symbol guy, and my mind isn’t built like the mind of a programmer. Am I really expected to remember what those little gearshift symbols or hamburger icons are meant to represent?

 

I Want to Improve, But…

Now, the whole point here isn’t that I’m not a high tech expert. That’s pretty obvious. I wrote my first novel by hand, then typed it (yes, on a typewriter—Google it, children), then put it on a word processor, then…ah, forget it.

But now I can actually write multiple drafts on a big old iMac, and I can even update the apps on my phone with the touch of a button. It’s all pretty nifty, I suppose.

Do I miss the days when people weren’t developing bone spurs in their necks from looking down constantly at their phones? Yes, in some ways, I do. And while I view technology as both a curse and a blessing—in many ways, we’re more divided than ever, however “connected” we may be through tech—I probably lean more toward the “curse” side…especially when contemplating the newest upgrade or update or whatever I have to deal with next.

And yes, I want to improve. But the companies who create all this stuff sure don’t make it easy for artistic types like me.

What about you? Do you struggle with technophobia? Let me know in the comments below.

political

Navigating the Murky Waters of Political Correctness

“If you don't have a sense of humor, it just isn't funny.”  —Wavy Gravy   When it comes to political correctness, I’m not convinced we should go back to the “good old days.” I mean, do we really want to go back to calling someone born to an unwed mother a...
epic launch

An Epic Launch

Today, the SEO overlords may punish me for posting something overly short. But that's okay. Because I had an epic launch this weekend. "Epic launch" is a phrase I've had in my head for a few weeks now. You see, as the publication date for Whizzers drew closer and...
ebook

A Free Ebook From Sahno Publishing—And An Open Invitation For More

Regular readers of this blog might be surprised to see me write about giving an ebook away. In fact, I wrote a post a few months ago called Why I Think Giving Your Work Away Is (Mostly) A Bad Idea. So why the change of heart, you may ask? Actually, there's no change...
break

You Deserve A Break Today

The last few weeks’ worth of blog posts have been downers, and I appreciate everyone who has read them, sent me messages, and in general been encouraging. This week needs to be lighter. A lot lighter. So I’m going back to one of my favorite topics: writing. I’m on a...
artificial

Proust in the Artificial Intelligence Era

Let's consider this week’s post as part two to last week’s part one, When Will the Robot Overlords Replace Us? I know I've been thinking, talking, and writing about this a lot lately. Today, though, I have a different spin—one which both surprised and amused me. Last...
newsletter

A Sneak Peek at My Latest Quarterly Newsletter—And An Invitation

Okay, I'll admit right out of the gate that this isn't really a "sneak peek." My subscribers got it yesterday. Most of what I send them each quarter is content exclusive to subscribers, but every once in a while I'll share something here as well. The following is from...
happy new year

Happy New Year From Mike Sahno – Author. Speaker. Publisher.

Today was the last day of 2018, and it's also my last blog post of the year. I almost missed it. One of the only reasons I've had success as an author, speaker and publisher is because I've been both relentless and consistent. I used to think my natural, God-given...
self-promotion

What’s The Problem With Shameless Self-Promotion?

While I still find it somewhat hard to believe, I've been on Twitter for almost eight years. I know this not only because Twitter shows Joined March 2015 on my profile but also because, even if they eliminate that feature, I use a tracker called Who Unfollowed Me? If...

Cover Reveal: Rides From Strangers

Rides From Strangers is coming! Today’s post is a reminder about the upcoming publication of my new short story collection, which is indeed called Rides From Strangers, after the first story in the book. For those of you already on my email newsletter list, I will be...
trigger

Why Trigger Warnings are Bad for Everybody

Recently I almost got into a Twitter skirmish about trigger warnings, or TWs, as they say in the trade. One of my followers asked the Twitterverse their opinion on them, and I gave mine. In essence, I said I don’t believe in them. While trigger warnings originally...
self-promotion

What’s The Problem With Shameless Self-Promotion?

While I still find it somewhat hard to believe, I've been on Twitter for almost eight years. I know this not only because Twitter shows Joined March 2015 on my profile but also because, even if they eliminate that feature, I use a tracker called Who Unfollowed Me? If...
MLK

MLK Day 2023

Here’s wishing everyone a safe, sane Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For many of us, today is always something of a day of mourning: not only mourning the loss of a great civil rights leader, but also mourning the turn our great nation seemed to take in recent years....

Twitter Tips for Authors in 2023

If you follow my blog, you probably connected with me via Twitter, whether you’re a fellow author or not. In 2020, I wrote a post about Twitter for fellow writers that got a good response. Three years later, the landscape has changed, but some Twitter best practices...
rails

Going Off The Rails (But Not On A Crazy Train)

Last April, I wrote a blog post called Back on Track With a Work-In-Progress. Part of that post was to talk about the difference between a “plotter” and a “pantser” (and to describe myself as a hybrid of the two, a “plantser”). Another, less obvious motive, was to...
French

Those Tricky French Authors and Their Obsessions

Today’s blog post was originally going to be Write Whatever the @#$% You Want, Pt. III. However, after seeing parts I and II lined up, I decided to call an audible and make it something less repetitive. Somehow the SEO gods have gotten into my head. As I’ve mentioned...
scared

Write Whatever the @#$% You Want, Pt. II

In last week’s post, I mentioned a pretty well-known author who has publicly reported his publisher “wouldn’t touch” a new release, in part because a character in his novel referred to herself as “fat.” I heard this story on a podcast, and I remember thinking, “Wait...
censorship

Write Whatever the @#$% You Want

I’ve been stewing on this for a while. It’s been brewing for quite a while. I could probably write a song about it (how about a rap?), but I don’t think I will. This is more of a blog post topic, and it might even deserve a series. And that’s the title and topic of...
gratitude

Should Every Month Be Gratitude Month?

When I was a kid, I loved Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. I read it daily and collected nearly every paperback volume of the cartoon, so I could see what I’d missed since the comic strip’s inception in 1950.  Certain things stuck: quotes like “happiness is a warm puppy”...
robot

More Thoughts On Robot Writers and The Tech Dystopia

A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog post here called When Will the Robot Overlords Replace Us? Apparently, I’m fairly obsessed with this stuff, because every time I come here and empty my brain, it seems to come up again. Today is no different. Part of the reason,...