bcw (06/14/82)
From: Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University Re: Computer addiction, Hackers, etc. I have also noticed that the "computer addiction" phenomenon seems to recede as one approaches the source -- it's always someone that somebody once knew, or knew someone who knew, etc., and one rarely (if ever) finds a primary case of a person who is interested in computers as an end in them- selves rather than as, say, something which just happens to run a particular game or which is useful for doing things like graphics, or which leads to interesting mathematical problems, or whatever. Is it possible that the "computer addiction" label is a bit like the "cannibal" label? Anthropologists have had a great deal of trouble tracking down cases of primary cannibalism -- it's always the tribe down the river (who in turn are appalled at the idea and say that they've heard the tribe up in the mountains practices that disgusting act...). Some anthro- pologists have come to the conclusion that even if there are a few true cannibals, the major function of the stories is to define *us* versus *them* groups. This seems a lot like what's going on in the "computer addiction" stories -- people (especially the journalism and psychology groups) are looking for a label to show that the rival group (computer people) are in some way not quite fully human, and have latched onto this canard. Comments? Bruce C. Wright @ Duke University
pcmcgeer (06/14/82)
Bruce Wright's comments on this matter are probably much closer to the truth than many of us imagine. You know, in many ways technical people - espescially engineers and computer scientists - are natural enemies of the social scientists and social theorists. We, after all, are in the business of harnessing nature to man's needs - they are purely and simply in the business of harassing, annoying, and harnessing their fellow man. The more we do and the more we succeed the more irrelevant the shrinks, pinkos, and journalists are going to be. Does it surprise you that they invent garbage like "computer addiction" to discredit us?
soreff@sri-unix (06/29/82)
If social scientists are purely in the business of "harassing, annoying, and harnessing their fellow man" then what are people who do human factors engineering called? Purely hardware engineers?