Computer rage psychology
smashing the keyboard won't solve the problem
Last week, I took my computers to a technician, they were not working and I wanted to reboot them so that the kids could use them and not use the laptop I use to work. After two days and several phone calls and visits, I got my computers back. They were supposed to work fine.
…well, I have tried each one, none of them work. One is so slow I can go and prepare a cup of tea while the page is loading, the other one doesn’t even show the start screen.
This reminds me of (good) old times in office, one day I was finishing writing a report and could not convert it in PDF. Does anyone know why PDF is only turning your life into a nightmare when you have a critical deadline to meet ?
Another “good” memory is when I was in a presentation and out of nowhere the computer decided to restart to update but then freeze or when despite having 4 ways to connect to internet from 2 different providers nothing was working.
I am pretty sure you also have a long list of computer based frustrations. This is called “computer rage” and has been studied in psychology.
In 2009, a research by British Psychology Society revealed shocking data.
“54% of people were verbally aggressive towards their computer, while 40% admitted they had engaged in physical aggression. The majority of people get angry with IT around three to four times a month.”
This may sound crazy but computer rage is a common emotion. Some psychologists asked people what they did when their computer didn’t perform as expected and the reactions were priceless, some people drove on their keyboard with their car or fired at the laptop…
To delve into the topic, The Psychology of Computer Rage is a very good read with some practical tips on how to manage such situation, excerpt below.
“If you’ve ever used a computer to accomplish a task within the last 20 years, you’ve probably had a melt-down moment— viruses, blue screens, ads that won’t close, and the oh-so feared act of downloading a word document, only to save and close it into nothingness (a plague upon the early 2000’s). I once lost a very long and complicated paper the night before it was due my first year of college. After realizing I could never recover the paper, I gripped the sides of my monitor and yelled, “Why are you doing this to me?!” before my boyfriend had to pull me away before I did something drastic to my computer. And he was right to be concerned; almost 40% of Americans who reported using a computer within the last 6 months reported experiencing computer rage, or the verbal or physical abuse of their computers or computer-related accessories.”
“When computers fail to do things we ask them to, specifically when we are in an important time crunch or have a lot at stake, failure to perform a command is seen as a violation of social norms and results in anger and indignation. (…) In your mind, your computer shifts from your best ally and partner-in-crime, to the thing that prevents you from accomplishing a task or goal when time is tight and everything is on the line. And as we know from any Hollywood drama, when people feel betrayed, they oh-so-easily go on an "I've got nothing to lose" rage.”
To lower the stress, the article mentions taking a deep breath or reframing the situation. In my case, I dealt with my computer rage doing some research about it and writing this post :) at least something good came out of it. I wish you to find a fruitful way out if you have a computer frustration in the future.
More on this with an article from a developer stating some reasons why we can experience computer rage (and it has nothing to do with the computer itself) and good tips. Read How do I manage Computer Rage?
Formamind is a regular newsletter published twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. It focuses on self development, innovation, creativity, team collaboration, leadership and my personal journey towards understanding how our brain works.
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