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Computer Holding Power

It could be argued that the type of application a user has to work with determines his relationship to computers: playing interactive virtual reality games is certainly more attractive than entering data in a database environment. Nevertheless, there are also other factors which account for what Turkle calls "computer holding power" (30).⁴³ Regarding the hackers and hobbyists of the 1970s, Turkle identifies the user's wish to have control of a machine as having its origin in the loss of control in other fields of life (32). While this "controllability" may still be a decisive factor for some users, a shift has taken place regarding the transparency of controllable parameters in computer systems of today (41-42).⁴⁴ The triumph of graphical user interfaces and off-the-shelf applications has changed the focus on other controllable features, which belong to the domain of simulation (42). Thus, according to Turkle, other factors account for computer holding power today:

What attracts me to the computer are the possibilities of "conversation" among the multiple windows on my screen and the way an instantly responsive machine allays my anxieties about perfection. But other people are drawn by other sirens. Some are captured by virtual worlds that appear to be unsullied by the messiness of the real. Some are enthralled by the sense of mind building mind or merging with the mind of the computer. If one is afraid of intimacy yet afraid of being alone, even a stand-alone (not networked) computer offers an apparent solution. Interactive and reactive, the computer offers the illusion of companionship without the demand of friendship. One can be a loner yet never be alone. (Turkle Life on the Screen 30).

Regarding computer users of the 1970s, Turkle distinguishes between hackers, hobbyists, and users, which are supposed to be understood as different modes of relationship.⁴⁵ Unfortunately, since Turkle mainly deals with ideal types, she gives no generally applicable classification of today's users and their relationships with computers (Life on the Screen 32-33).
One reason for the difficulty of examining the relationship of humans and computers is the question of what exactly accounts for a computer system's attraction. As pointed out in section 3.1.4, a computer system consists of several different layers, of which each could be responsible for its attraction.
Apart from processing speed, hard disk space, and other technology-related features, the design of a computer case may also play a decisive role. When the Apple iBook was introduced in 1999, women's magazines (which do not usually pay any attention to the achievements of the computer industry) printed pictures of the iBook due to its design (Ehrmann Der Drei-Kilo-iMac). In other words, in order to examine human-computer relationships, it is necessary to find out what exactly makes people feel attracted to the computer.
Unfortunately, this topic cannot be covered in this paper. As a consequence, human-computer interaction will be regarded from different user perspectives in the following sections.

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