It is easy to fall in love with technology. It is equally easy to fear it.
…
Technology does not determine practice. How people embrace technology has less to do with the technology itself than with the social setting in which they are embedded.
…
People’s practices are also shaped by those around them. There are cluster effects to socio-technical engagement. In other words, people do what their friends do.
– Danah Boyd, via apophenia: some thoughts on technophilia.
I read this article more than a week ago and a few of the quotes from it (above) keep coming back to mind. I think there is a lot to be said for the act of creating a comfortable computing environment. I don’t mean cushy chairs and good air conditioning. I mean a supportive, positive space to try, and fail, surrounded by friends. That alone is more likely to promote the use of any technology than good hardware, software, or the cool factor.