Once upon a time (a long time ago, and for a very short moment) “computers” (such as they were) were “programed” (such as it was done) in machine language… that is, what we would call 1s and 0s. On or off… binary.
The most complicated (not that they were very complicated) problem or data set was boiled down to a language that could be wired into switches (or transitors, or diodes, or locations on a piece of paper) that were either on or off (or up or down, or there or not there, or positive or negative).

Pretty quickly, computer scientists figured out how to build another language on top of that language. A compiler would turn this new language into the 1s and 0s the computer needed to do it’s thing, and everyone congratulated themselves for solving “the biggest problem facing computer science today.”

But then, pretty quickly, they figured out another layer that could be draped over the new language, which made it easier to write programs and solve problems. Programs and devices and algorhythms were invented to translate the newest stuff into the slightly less new stuff, while something else translated slightly less new stuff into the stuff that actually works: 1s and 0s.

I bet you can guess where this is going…

Computer scientists (and programmers and engineers, and whole cadre of geniuses) have layered and layered and layered, because each new layer allows the programmers (and the end users: us) the ability to do more things, more complicated things, cooler things. It may be (theoretically) possible, but it’s hard to imagine programming the CGI effects of the latest Star Trek movie by individually turning on and off transistors.

How many layers are we from the stuff that actually does things? I would venture to guess that it is more layers than there are between my experience of conciousness and individual neurons firing in my brain.

Crazy, huh?…

So what?- This isn’t a computer science blog, so what do you care, you Social Media Marketing Maven?

Well… I was talking recently to a computer programming friend who was talking about “purists” computer programmers/scientists who think that you need to understand this stuff from the ground up in order to be effective.
I say… that’s ridiculous. That’s as ridiculous as thinking we need to know how muscle fiber is built before we can learn how to walk.

Now… many people would agree with that- in fact, I know a great number of programmers, and I don’t think any of them could scratch out machine code if their lives depended on it.
But, I think that the same ridiculous reasoning in a slightly different form pervades Web Design and Social Media and all the other great new things that you can do with technology.

Those of you who are still trying to get your bearings with all this stuff, I say… Take Heart!
The greatest thing about this revolution (and that’s what it is, mind you) is that the informational barriers to entry have dropped to the point where building a website is on the level of conscious will, as opposed to the level of corralling neurons or jettisoning chemical activators.

Yes, you do still need to learn how to walk. But EVERYONE DOES, eventually.
So…
Most of you reading this probably already have jumped that hurdle, but for the rest of you, who still feel a little intimidated by the “geeks.”
HAVE NO FEAR!
Stop waiting around until you have the time to “really learn” how to do whatever it is you think you need to know how to do (program? write html? understand what a CSS is?) and just jump on board and
Start Dancing!