I love getting a new gadget. Who doesn’t, right? But what makes it more exciting for me is trying to figure out how to make it work. I know that it comes with an instruction manual, often written in four languages, with everything you need to know about that gadget, but who really reads the instruction manual? You are excited about it. Do you think you will still take the time to read before handling the gadget? I don’t think so.
Nowadays, all you need to know is how to turn it on or where to plug it, then you use it. Period. No more hassles of knowing what it is, what it does, where it was manufactured, how it came to be, etc. The only time you would probably open up the manual is to check on the warranty card and as a last resort, when you are really stumped about how to do something and have done everything you thought possible to make it work. This can be quite unfortunate because gadgets nowadays are full packed with features to make your life easier. The instruction manual can help you know about it and teach you how to do it. I even remember a friend who was stubborn enough not to use the manual to check on a certain feature, tried to do it on his own, and ended up erasing all addresses and details in his cellular phone.
If you think about it further, learning to operate a new gadget is easy for us who were born in this age of technology. How about those from the older generation who still thinks that a computer is the same as a television with a remote to turn on? Was it easy for them to learn to use these gadgets? I remember seeing an old woman shouting on her cellular phone, not because she was mad at the person she was talking to but because she couldn’t hear her clearly. How about the old man who called using the television remote and tried to operate the television with his cellular phone? How easy is it for them to learn to operate a new gadget?
I am not saying that old people do not know gadgets, much less operate them. In fact, I know a lot of geriatrics who are more technology savvy with their gadgets as compared to me. I am just saying that a lot of people, as they grow older, have a hard time learning how to operate a gadget, as compared to the younger generation. Unless they are truly interested in learning how it works, they would rather just do it the way they know how, instead of trying to learn how to do it using a gadget.
Gadgets at present are actually easier to operate because manufacturers take into consideration their clientele, thus making it more user-friendly. However, the instruction manual is still considered to be a good thing to read so as to completely understand its features and use the gadget to its fullest capacity.