Dan from Netflap.com has an article describing a problem that he calls the “related blame syndrome.” I think the problem can be best explained by an example. The other day, I helped someone import their photos into iPhoto. A few days later, the person I helped says, “you helped me with iPhoto but you broke my Internet Connection!” Dan says,

Why is it that when it comes to computers and technology, people want to immediately relate one problem with another. Even if there is virtually no correlation, users decide to create one.

He goes on to posit that there is some strange aspect of technology that causes people to make correlations between unrelated problems, driving “computer experts” nuts.

While I’m glad to see I’m not the only person who’s noticed related-blame syndrome, I disagree with the idea that it is a mysterious affliction limited to technical problems. Dan emphasizes that this is a tech specific problem by analogizing the type of correlation I described above with the following non-tech example:

“Remember how last week at lunch your soup was cold? Well now my fridge doesn’t work.”

But I think this is a false analogy. Although the soup was cold and fridges make food cold, everyone understands the two are unrelated. A better analogy is when someone says:

“The other day, you fixed the radiator in my car and now my car stereo doesn’t work.”

I’ve definitely seen this before, and I’ve said similar things as well. And when I’ve said them, I’ve been convinced it was true. The mechanic will deny it of course, but it is often of little value. I am not a car expert but I am distrustful of automechanics. I know enough to know, maybe when he was fiddling around fixing my hypothetical radiator, maybe he jiggled loose the power connector for the radio. I don’t know if that’s even possible, but it sure seems suspicious that my radio stopped working shortly after the mechanic did something I don’t understand to my car.

As with cars, people really don’t understand computers. So, when you fiddle around with iPhoto to help them import pictures, they find it suspicious that their Internet connection no longer works only two days later. In both the automotive case and the computer case, the only reasoning going on is: Some expert did something mysterious to help me the other day and boy was it complicated. They must have screwed something up doing that complicated thing that has led to my most recent problem.

I will say that the auto-mechanic does have it a little better than the computer expert though. People think a bit before blaming the automechanic, so the mechanic doesn’t get “You fixed my car stereo the other day and now I have a flat tire!” as frequently as computer expert gets “Hey, remember how you fixed my mouse settings, well now my Internet doesn’t work.” Perhaps I should write a short rant on how it seems that computers emit some strange electromagnetic fields that disconnect people’s higher brain function as soon as they sit in front of one. Sounds like a good first article for the Rants category.