The world doesn’t have the most noble impression of tech support professionals and it’s high time we cleared things up. For decades, the tech support industry has existed solely to keep everyone else’s offices running smoothly. With this level of importance, how did IT professionals become the butt of so many jokes? Let’s take a look at the history of the tech support industry, from the early days of the first computers through the rise of Google, and how the reputation of tech support became so skewed.
The Early Days
Ah, the 60s. The decade of peace, love, and IBM. The 1960s marks the era in which America began discovering the importance of computers. However, computers in the 1960s were much different than they were even as soon as 20 years later. Most notably, they were enormous, quite slow, and prone to error. Spending a fortune on these monsters we once called the “latest technology” would seem silly to anyone in present day. While computers and machines are all the rage in the 21st century for playing games and keeping up with one’s social circle, they served a much different purpose in the dark ages: science and analytics. Science has long held a reputation for being "nerdy," hence the association with IT pros.
Everyone more or less understands how to use a computer when it is operating at full capacity with no errors. But, as is the case with many other professions, knowing how to fix the errors when they occur requires a deeper understanding of how parts work and why. Hardware and software errors alike are extremely difficult to remedy and must be approached delicately. Those who typically governed the support field at the beginning of the tech timeline (and knew how to remedy these errors) were more heavily connected to the scientific and analytical side of things, and less connected to the social aspect. Because of this, tech support professionals quickly acquired a reputation for being cold, detached, and almost as robotic as the machines they spent their days working on.
Fast Forward
As technology progressed through the 80s and 90s, the tech support field became a little more lax. With the introduction of the fax machine and cellular phones, machines became less about analytics and became more integrated in social culture. It's hard not to recognize a parallel shift in tech support professionals as this gradual change took place.
Present Day
The dot com bubble may have burst in 2000, but that only fueled the demand for tech support. With the recent emergence of data clouds, music streaming, and smart phones, tech support professionals are more imperative to a fully-functional society than ever before. Since these technologies are utilized daily for personal reasons, the average person tends to have a much better understanding of them and can therefore fall into a position of assistance. Hence the "cool" IT pros we are familiar with today.
Without tech support professionals, your computers, phones, and networks wouldn't stand a chance. If you are looking for IT support in Riverside, get in touch with AIS-Now today at (855)-448-4247!
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