Open Thread: It's Not You! - Senior Planet from AARP

Hey, fellow digital immigrants! Sometimes when tech goes wrong, its not you its just your misconceptions about technology.and about yourself!I was on a Zoom call with my Senior Planet colleagues recently and discovered an issue with my camera I could see them but they couldnt see me.My instinct was to think I did something wrong.*They patiently guided me through one fix after another and nothing worked They all quickly concluded that they were stumped.A Digital Immigrants Self TalkAs a digital immigrant (as many older people are) I often manifest silly ideas that interfere with my ability to maneuver in the digital world:-that my electronics are supposed to be perpetual motion machines that work perfectly all the timeand if they dont, its a catastrophe.-that if something goes wrong with my computer, my connectivity or my phone its because of something I did or didnt do.-that if something goes wrong and I cant fix it right away its because Im dumb.-that if I try to fix it Ill break something or do something I wont be able to undo, OR-that fixing it means going down the rabbit hole for hours so I should either live with it or try a half assed workaround.BUT WAIT!It wasnt until that Zoom call that I realized how often digital immigrants like us think its our fault that tech doesnt work or is difficult.And that younger folks who grew up in a digital world have all the answers.Wrong! Sometimes younger folks have the answers.

Sometimes they dont.Sometimes nobody has the answers! Once I let go of the self-blame and fear, handling the inevitable tech glitches got a lot easier.So I finally got my Its Not Me moment.I might have a bit more confidence with tech and may still get in trouble but at least I know its not always me.

(BTW, turns out my camera wasnt working because the cover got pushed back over the lens accidentally).YOUR TURNHow about you? Did you have an Its not me! moment with tech? How did it change your attitude or confidence? Share your experience in the comments!Virge Randall is Senior Planets Managing Editor.She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog Dont Get Me Started puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City.Send your suggestions for Open Threads to her at [email protected].