Technical Difficulties

Technical difficulties is a term used to describe any sort of obstacle, which causes anything mechanical or technologically advanced to function improperly. The term is a generalization for situations such as power outages, computer crashes, machinery breakdown, electrical surges, etc. These difficulties significantly delay the furtherance of whatever technical plans were in process. For example, if a camera at a television station begins to behave in an unusual manner, such as failing to focus, and as a result, the evening news broadcast is delayed, the public is informed that the station is experiencing "technical difficulties."

The cause of technical difficulties can range from acts of God to human error, as well as mechanical failure or electrical conveyance problems. It has been said that solar flares can cause electronics to malfunction temporarily, and sometimes, permanently. Pacemakers can be hindered in their operational capabilities by other types of machinery such as microwaves or cell phones.

Cars and trucks can experience mechanical breakdown due to human forgetfulness, human neglect and human misuse. Likewise, vehicles can totally break down due to wear and tear from the weather, from chemicals inside the vehicle, or from other mechanical parts.

The phenomenon behind technical difficulties is a recent development, particularly within the last century, and in developed countries. It is most often involved in technologically advanced machinery or electronic devices. It is not used to explain occurrences of wardrobe malfunctions, human or animal illness, relationship success or failures, or anything else other than mechanical failure.

The public is often told that a technical difficulty has occurred if a media broadcast were it live or via airwaves or television, is somehow delayed. The delay is commonly caused by mechanical failure, such as a wire being misplaced, a lacking source of electricity, or machinery breakdown. If the cause of the delay is due to human factors it is not considered a technical difficulty.