Is the keyboard a barrier?

Sometime I wonder why so few people around my age seem willing to jump on the internet and take advantage of the wealth of information and possibilities available at their fingertips. The more I’m puzzled by it, the more I begin to realize that if someone never learned how to “touch-type,” the whole endeavor becomes that much more difficult and the use of the internet as a communication tool far less fun. Generally, access to the internet starts with e-mail and opens up a new way to communicate with relatives, friends and business associates, but if that whole exercise ends up being a frustrating exercise of “hunt-and-peck.” I am convinced that from that point forward, a lot of internet users get disgusted and altogether give up going on line or working with their computer. I never had any keyboarding lessons and when I purchased my first “Keypro” personal computer in 1983, this was the first thing I taught myself with a simple program; this has served me well indeed!