As students across the ASU campuses settle in to their first week back, many receive phone calls from family members. Not all of these phone calls are because of separation anxiety; quite a few phone calls are plagued with questions regarding technology problems.
The "blue screen of death" plagues relatives of ASU students. Photo by Courtland Jeffrey.Instead of catching you for a few minutes back at home, technologically challenged relatives often reach out to students with questions regarding their computers or smartphones. However, phone calls can make the once simple face-to-face advisement much more difficult, especially if your confused relatives have trouble explaining their technological problems. These instructional over-the-phone sessions explaining how to reset the wireless router or retrieving a deleted email can be stressful and tedious and the newfound distance can be one more hurdle to overcome.
Natalie Melkonoff, a sophomore sustainability student in Barrett, has dealt with this situation multiple times since she has moved onto campus. She has given technology advice — both basic and complex problems — with her parents and grandparents, and at times, the process of explaining the solution can become even more of a struggle when on the phone.
Melkonoff said that she still offers help both in-person and over the phone (because she returns home once in a while) and feels that resolving these problems over the phone can be much harder than being able to directly interact with relatives.
“I may not always understand what my parents explaining to me and vice versa,” Melkonoff says, as she is not always the solution.
Many students like Melkonoff have this problem of miscommunication, but by trying some of these tips, the problem could be lessened or completely eradicated:
If your relative comes back to you with the exact same question every time, write it down and mail/email it to them so they can refer back to it instead of you.
Also, if the problem is something more difficult than something you can talk through on the phone, video chat (if able) and have them share their screen so you can actually see the problem. One of the most helpful tips is to at least teach the caller what terms mean, so you can decipher what they are trying to convey; one word change can make a large difference between Google not working and the Internet not working.
Whether you are the nerd of family or you can keep your head above water with technology, chances are that your family has or will rely on you for help with any electronic equipment and you should be prepared. Being smart and using the tips above will get you back to fun conversations on the "not-frequent-enough" phone calls back home.
You can reach me at cejeffre@asu.edu. Follow me on Twitter @Court_Jeffrey.
