Post by @amras@town.friendmaterial.lgbt

@amras@town.friendmaterial.lgbt

2026-07-22 21:23 UTC

If you consider yourself "nontechnical" or feel that computers are for someone else to understand: What are some questions you have about social media, the internet, computers, phones, linux? What you wish you understood, to help you make decisions about your digital life and digital communities. These could be "how does X work" but also "why do we do things this way" or "would it be possible to Y". I'm chatting with a local collective about running some talks or workshops along these lines. Try to get normal folks comfortable talking about change they want to see. I have some ideas for topics but want to know what people actually care about. No promises but this might turn into online resources too. <3 #nontechnical #survey #AskFedi :reply_request: :boost_requested:

Replies (4)

@amras@town.friendmaterial.lgbt 2026-07-23 13:12

Corrolary: if you do know your way around a server, what do you wish more users understood about digital infrastructure and the web, because it'd make the world better if they did?

Open ##5157739
@Rickd6@mstdn.ca 2026-07-23 16:47

@amras@town.friendmaterial.lgbt as a nontechnical user I really appreciate this desire to help. Too many times I upgrade anything and all of a sudden everything changes- what was once (A) is now called (G) and seems to be a term that only makes sense to technophiles. And there’s no option not to upgrade as eventually you lose access/function. By the time you get a book on the subject it is already obsolete. The change is not often explained just implemented, figure it out yourself. Many people on Mastodon are quite computer savvy (hardware and software) I did not grow up with them as a child and had to learn how to use them after my schooling. And while I could take a course there were none available that dealt with my needs, as I understood them. Please let me know what you find and if there’s further information. Thanks.

Open ##5157759
@baconandcoconut@freeradical.zone 2026-07-24 01:21

@amras@town.friendmaterial.lgbt One thing I see people struggle with when they are less technical than folks that maybe consider themselves "ok at tech" is how to ask the right question in the right place. There are so many different things layered into the things you might be trying to do that people are asking "a question" but they aren't asking it in a useful place. I don't know if that can be taught as a general tech skill?

Open ##5157761
@jessamyn@glammr.us 2026-07-24 03:27

@amras@town.friendmaterial.lgbt I am technical but I help non-technical people with technology in a public library. The biggest thing people have trouble with are - how passwords work and what are passkeys (and why you sometimes need to get notifications or other texts to log in and sometimes not) - cloud storage vs. device storage and how to tell what is going where and what is filling up - are cheap cell phone plans as good as expensive ones and how do you get one I've met two linux users in my 23 years at this job.

Open ##5157762