The Distribution of Users’ Computer Skills: Worse Than You Think
I see the argument of &quot;not enough hours of practice&quot; in some comments. I disagree. That would be true if there was a direct correlation between moderate proficiency in computers (e.g.: ability to independently reinstall your machine completely and diagnose which hardware component to replace after a failure).<p>The unmentioned problem here is that people are actively reluctant (this is tested, too) to learn the skills that would let them be more independent. I doubt this is entirely related to the total amount of hours spent at a computer.<p>In some way, computer literacy seems to be a similar scenario than cars: the homo simplex doesn&#x27;t want to understand how it works, he&#x2F;she just wants it to work while enjoying the luxury of not needing to understand it while posting duck faces on Instagram.<p>Let&#x27;s face it, computer illiterates understand less, pay more and end up having lower purchasing power. Considering that this is entirely under their control, I find this quite fair (I have different opinions about Seniors, but that&#x27;s another discussion).<p>To be honest, I can find only one valid reason for this to be an issue: civil liberties and human rights.<p>I&#x27;m intimately and increasingly concerned by how much civil liberties have been taken from citizens in &quot;developed&quot; countries in the recent years, and I am under the impression that this is the direct effect of computer illiteracy spread across all levels of the population.<p>Citizens are being asked to vote on laws relying on technological concepts they don&#x27;t understand, and which end up in striping them from their rights.<p>That&#x27;s what computer illiteracy is about and that&#x27;s what (I think) the article should talk about... :(