You’ve probably heard the story of this poster. Facing the possibilities of a German invasion, the British government designed a series of posters (including this one) that were to be posted publicly as a reminder that each person had a role to play in resisting the invader and avoiding a panic.
The posters were left unused. Some remained packed in boxes that were found in the early 2000s, and what began as the marketing of kitschy memorabilia began to take root in the public consciousness. Now there are two competing online “Keep Calm” generators on the web, each hosted on a different allied server on opposite sides of the big pond. As a casual user, you can choose to generate your own, Keep Calm and ___, using either service. You can even get a mug or a t-shirt.
I’ve been thinking recently about the way that technology is often horribly frustrating for all of us. The real truth of the matter is that while there may be a very few prodigies that understand machines and operating systems and even errors on an instinctual level, most of us, whether we are “technology people” or not, are constantly juggling the imperfect.
The reality is that human life is complex and that using the tools that we create is a complex process. We want things to “just work,” but the reality is that even Apple products don’t always do what we want them to do. (I actually have a rather complicated relationship with Siri. I hope that she’s not listening to what I say when she fails to conform to my expectations.) As in all parts of the human walk, those who seek to do good things need for their tools to work, and those whose good task is to make the tools work, should make their best efforts to make the work of others less about managing the tool and more about doing the good work. But the reality is often that the best thing to do is Keep Calm and rRestart – or Keep Calm and Try Again – or Keep Calm and Try Another Browser – or Keep Calm and Call Help (Because none of us can really do it on our own.)
It can be an infuriating experience to have the machines balk at enacting our best hopes. It can be equally infuriating to have someone attempt to walk you through a problem-solving process that you feel like you’ve already attempted. It should also be admitted that none of us are particularly well suited for the difficult emotions of vulnerability, fear, and shame that seem to be a part of the “failure” to bend technology to our will, and that it is emotionally difficult to invite another person into the circle of our possible solution.
Be that as it may, remember the following:
If you are a person being challenged by the realities of technology,
You need to keep breathing.
This is not the end of the world.
There are really people in your institution who are available and willing to help you.
You are not alone.
There are solutions. You will find one.
Everyone struggles. Persistence will pay off.
The more you panic, the more likely you are to reinforce the frustration cycle and magnify the negative consequences of a malfunction or a misconfiguration.
Keep calm and carry on.
If you are one of the folks who support people facing technology problems,
Recall your own experiences where life did not go as planned as an exercise in empathy.
Don’t equate unfamiliarity with ignorance.
Don’t equate ignorance or unfamiliarity with lack of ability to learn.
Remember your service mission.
Don’t take criticism personally.
Keep calm and carry on.
In the end, I hope that all of us, whether we are in the position of frustrated user or supportive friend, colleague, or service worker, will remember that our mutual interaction with technology is about the tool and the function while our interactions with each other are the measure of ourselves and our civilization.
