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> There is a lot we techies can do to educate normies... This isn’t something you’ll find universal agreement about. My own position is that we techies are see

> There is a lot we techies can do to educate normies... This isn’t something you’ll find universal agreement about. My own position is that we techies are seen as weirdos by most of the population, and what we should do is leave normal people alone. Definitely not try to “educate” them – think about how elitist that’s going to sound to many of them.

salawat 3y ago
I find the opposite. When I really sit down and lay out for my parents the implementation details of what goes on, yes, immediately the reaction is to the negative. They come back later though and ask for clarification. They ask more questions, and they more patiently listen to the answers. Education has always been and always will be an uphill battle. No one likes to be taught. We do it anyway, because both are enriched in so doing.
actuallyalys 3y ago
The phrasing of "educate" (not to mention "normies") definitely implies a patronizing and unhelpful approach. I don't think technical people should go around giving unsolicited lectures to people they perceive as lacking technical expertise. However, I don't think there's anything wrong with technical people sharing what we know in a respectful way to people who are actually interested in a way that accounts for their needs. For example, if a social group you're in is deciding what messaging app to use to coordinate meeting up, it would be appropriate to share what you know about the various options' end-to-end encryption. But going on a rant about the privacy issues of a social media app because a distant relative mentioned it offhandedly probably isn't productive. By analogy, I wouldn't mind a friend with medical training sharing what they know about heatstroke prevention to a group of us before we embark on an hike. I would mind them giving me nutrition advice based solely on what I ordered at a restaurant. (Edited to fix wording)

salawat 3y ago

I find the opposite. When I really sit down and lay out for my parents the implementation details of what goes on, yes, immediately the reaction is to the negative. They come back later though and ask for clarification. They ask more questions, and they more patiently listen to the answers. Education has always been and always will be an uphill battle. No one likes to be taught. We do it anyway, because both are enriched in so doing.

actuallyalys 3y ago

The phrasing of "educate" (not to mention "normies") definitely implies a patronizing and unhelpful approach. I don't think technical people should go around giving unsolicited lectures to people they perceive as lacking technical expertise. However, I don't think there's anything wrong with technical people sharing what we know in a respectful way to people who are actually interested in a way that accounts for their needs. For example, if a social group you're in is deciding what messaging app to use to coordinate meeting up, it would be appropriate to share what you know about the various options' end-to-end encryption. But going on a rant about the privacy issues of a social media app because a distant relative mentioned it offhandedly probably isn't productive. By analogy, I wouldn't mind a friend with medical training sharing what they know about heatstroke prevention to a group of us before we embark on an hike. I would mind them giving me nutrition advice based solely on what I ordered at a restaurant. (Edited to fix wording)