technopeasant
English
WOTD – 24 February 2013
Etymology
From techno- + peasant.
Noun
technopeasant (plural technopeasants)
- (informal) One who is disadvantaged or exploited within a modern technological society, especially through inability to use computer technology.
- 1994, Stewart Wieck, When Will You Rage?, page 86:
- “You would be able to, if only you′d — ”
- Jim cut him off in mid-grumble. “I know. ‘If only I′d stop being a technopeasant and open my eyes.’ OK, I know I′ve been a technopeasant, but now I want to open my eyes, and I need you to help me do it.”
- 1997, Ruth H. Jacobs, Be an Outrageous Older Woman, page 111:
- Being a technopeasant, I took his word for it and bought the rabbit ears for an additional sum. When I got home and uncrated the set, I discovered it had a built-in antenna and that I did not need the extra one.
- 1999, William A. Stahl (William Austin), God and the Chip: Religion and the Culture of Technology, page 47:
- In his vision people will be divided into two classes; “the Knows” and the “Know-Nots,” the digirati and the technopeasants.
- 2001, Ruth Cohen, Alien Invasion: How The Harris Tories Mismanaged Ontario, page 182:
- In his other statements it is clear that he regards computer programmers as technopeasants, and this is how many corporations do treat them with programming outsourced to low-wage countries like India.
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Related terms
- technopeasantry