Insights on Technology and Technical Communication

Being a technical communicator by training and job description, I oftentimes encounter many people who expect me to be highly mesmerised with technology. I inevitably break hearts (of some) when I dispel common untruths held about technology and technical communication.

1. Technology is not only about computers and computing

Occasionally, I take time to explain that a simple match that lights when struck against a matchbox is technology; a candle, a pencil and a hair comb are technologies. Technology is not only about computers and computing.

2. Technology enhances efficiency, but doesn’t automatically bring excellence

I strongly support the view that technology brings efficiency to what you do, but doesn’t bring excellence. If you produce low quality products, it’ll help you increase the output of the bad product. However, if you produce high quality products, it’ll similarly enlarge the good output. The ‘trash in equals trash out’ wisdom doesn’t apply to just computing - rather, it applies to all technologies.

3. Technical communicators (can) only document /write for software and computer products

Technical communication covers a wide scope of knowledge and professional fields. Thus, there is technical communication in Economics, Business and Government, Medicine, Law, Education and others. Well-trained technical communicators know how to obtain resources they need to write authoritatively on the subject matters they write on.

There is little argument that the computing industry has offered lots of opportunities to technical writers/ communicators, but so has other fields.