Customer Reviews

User Error: Resisting Computer Culture

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This is an illuminating study of the social hierarchy of computer knowledge and how the lowest class, the "User," was constructed. The author puts forth that technological advancement has, instead of liberating the User, subjected him to greater bondage as he becomes a slave to technology and a pawn in informational politics. Why are Users compelled to pursue needless upgrades? Is there really a need to expose children to technology in elementary school? What's behind the software makers' ostensible interest in their users' needs? These are among many questions that Rose addresses in her thought-provoking analysis.

This book will be a revelatory read for many people who work directly with "end users" in the information technology field. This book is *not* for self-important technicians who already relentlessly despise the User for his ignorance -- if that's you (you know who you are), you will probably learn nothing here. But if you seek a deeper understanding of why people interact with technology the way they do, you'll gain a lot from this book.

My main complaint is that the author employs long, burdensome sentences that make the book read like a thick college text. A more succinct style would have made it much more enjoyable.

As acting book review editor of Interface, I prefer to review books that I can heartily recommend. Most of us are so busy that reading even one book a month can be a challenge. This is not such a book, yet from a particular critical perspective it is nonetheless a potentially useful one. If you are yourself suspicious of the passion for computers and the Internet, or want to understand a more critical scholarly perspective, then this is the book for you. It is practically a pastiche of critical scholarship. Many pages consist largely of references or quotations strung together to suit the author's purposes...

For a full review see Interface, Volume 3, Issue 9.