Technical Snafus Fueling 'Computer Rage'

ByABC News
June 23, 2005, 12:48 PM

June 24, 2005 &#151 -- In this week's "Cybershake," we take a look at "computer rage." Plus, we note how one famous, funny lady feels about the Net.

Computers, laptops, cell phones, digital music players, camcorders, electronic organizers, videogame consoles ... They are all the rage. Literally.

In the digital age, we've all become dependent on many high-tech devices to keep our busy lives on track and entertained on a daily basis. But when the digital tools go on the fritz or don't work the way we expect them to, it's more than likely we'll lash out against our machines.

"There's this pent up frustration with all the little things [in life], and then this computer [error] just totally whacks you," says Kent Norman, a professor with the Laboratory for Automation Psychology and Decision Processes at the University of Maryland. "And you feel like whacking back."

Norman admits that digital glitches have gotten the best of him at times as well. And he's even documented with digital video some of the more "creative" ways he's vented his "computer rage" on the lab's Web page: http://lap.umd.edu/computer_rage/.

Although physically hurling a malfunctioning computer across a room or out the window might relieve some stress, Norman says there are a lot of support -- as in tech support -- groups that can help.

Organizations, such as the Geek Squad, can send technicians that can repair almost any consumer technical problem for a modest flat-rate fee. Others such as LightFrog in Boston, use a new technology to solve your computer problems remotely over the Net, rather than send out a repair guy.

But these are just small steps toward computer peace of mind, says Norman. As gear makers seem willing to add more, fancy -- and sometimes frustrating -- features into new gadgets, he believes "techno-frustration" among consumers won't get any better.

"Knowing the manufacturers at this point, I think you're going to see a rise in computer rage over the next few years," says Norman.