This past weekend I was in a remote area of northeastern Pennsylvania with no internet access, even via my iPhone. I made one trip per day to my parents’ cabin a few miles away, where I could plug in and briefly get online. I was among a large number of extended family members, and as best I could tell, I was the only one who seemed to mind not having access. Everyone else’s nonchalance got me to thinking – are tech geeks really on the cutting edge, and leading the way to the future? Or are we far removed from the reality of the rest of the world, and just scratching our tech itch for our own benefit?
Photo by markhillary.
Twitter is all the rage today, yet all but one of the people I follow on Twitter are people I’ve never met in person. The reason? None of my “real world” friends even have Twitter accounts. They use Facebook, but generally roll their eyes when I talk excitedly about a new piece of tech. My friends aren’t tech geeks, but I’d hardly call some of them tech neophytes. They use tech when it makes sense in the context of their lives. I do think that we tech geeks at times lose sight of this purpose of tech – to make life easier. We get caught up in all that is “new and shiny.” My computer is littered with programs that I don’t use. I probably knew I wouldn’t use most of them even before I downloaded them, but I still had to try them out.
Some of my tech time is wasted. I’ve spent time setting up a way to stream movies from my hard drive to my television. Most people would look at my efforts, shrug, and mention that they just pop in a disc when they want to watch a movie. Do tech geeks waste time on projects with no real benefit to them?
Perhaps this weekend should teach me a lesson. Tech is there to make my life easier, not control it. But the larger question that this weekend raised for me is whether we tech geeks are out of touch, or does our tech fascination serve a larger purpose?
So, help me out. Do we live in a different reality than the rest of the world? Or are we really at the edge of what is coming to the masses? Or is it both?
Or do I just have less tech savvy friends than most people?
Bobby Travis says:
It's an interesting question that you pose… I know that I am a bit of a tech geek (my wife would laugh here and would likely snort “Bit??”), but I will try to be as impartial as I can.
I think the answer is both.
Many people who are not tech-forward are tech-resistant. They cling to what they already know, because, even if it is an archaic or convoluted way of doing something, it works for them. They are used to it and it is therefore efficient. Things like the iphone and other mobille devices and cloud programs and such that are much more focused on usability are changing the way that people think, however.
I think that is the key phrase, there: “Changing the way that people think.” The fact is that much of the world is still saying “That sounds neat” instead of actually applying modern tech to their daily lives. My mother is very tech-forward for a person in her age-bracket, but she still needs to be coaxed or convinced before she adopts something new. I find this attitude to be prevalent among most people, but it is especially strong in countries that tend to have very regional mind-sets, like the US. It is always a bit of a conundrum to me that much of the worlds' tech advances come from the US, a country that is still heavily reliant upon dial-up internet — and, judging by the massive amounts of movies and books and such about the subject, are largely nervous about change, especially in technology. Maybe it is a result of the tech booms that “stole decent peoples' jobs” and such?
The other argument is that people are wayyyy too plugged in anyway and need to get back to the roots of life, to what's natural. There is definitely merit here as well. I know that I, sometimes, -need- to not turn on a computer, a phone, or even a television, and just sit down and read a book, or be in my own head, or take a walk through the woods or something. I get much the same feeling after a weekend in Vegas — maybe that should tell me something?
Ultimately, it is a question of balance. Barring some catastrophic world meltdown, the tech is going to keep on coming. Even a meltdown will only delay it. It is coming so fast and furious that it is hard to keep track of, which makes it even more difficult for people to make sense of — but people will trickle on board after the droves of geeks adopt and test things. And while the tech-geeks will light the fires of interest, it is the regular person who will decide what is the standard — which will then incite droves of regular people to adopt. Getting too far involved in tech is not healthy, though. Sometimes it really is important to get back to basics and fundamentally understand what is involved in the things you are doing. If you can manage to hold both elements in modest regard, then you will probably have a decent (maybe even happy) life going.
July 7, 2009 — 12:13 pm
Evan says:
Great observations. I do think we are the beta testers for the world, in a way. Perhaps as usability improves, as you noted, people will be less tech-resistant. I have found that once I sit down with someone and they see how easy something is, then they are much more likely to use it (assuming it is helpful).
I'm guilty of being too plugged in. I loved to read when I was younger, but now I am more likely to read RSS feeds on my iPhone than I am to read a book. This weekend, I actually started a book and rediscovered how enjoyable reading is.
July 7, 2009 — 1:12 pm
Bobby Travis says:
I am guilty of actually reading books on my phone… something I thought I would never do. But I can carry a whole library in my pocket!!! O.o
July 7, 2009 — 5:14 pm
Evan says:
Where are you getting your books? I've taken a look at Stanza, and Kindle for the iPhone, but I also don't want to shell out money for books if it ends up being something I don't use.
July 7, 2009 — 5:23 pm
kosmo @ The Casual Observer says:
Evan – thanks for visiting The Casual Observer. We're in a bit of a transition phase – lots of good stuff coming.
Interesting concept for your blog. I'm not over 40 (I'm 34) but I'm sure I'll be back.
I can get by without internet for probably 36-48 hours if my life depends on it – and I have a “dumb” cell phone (but with cell phone updates, so I know whenever Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies get a hit).
I worked at my company's corp HQ for 5 years before getting a teleworking opportunity back in 2002. At corp HQ, I worked in a building with 5000 tech folks … now I work with about 20 people, none of who are tech. On the bright side, I'm a valued resource :) People's eyes tend to glaze over a bit when I talk about wireless router security, though …
As far as books – Kindle just seems so expensive. I'd rather spend that money a hundred used paperbacks :)
July 7, 2009 — 11:19 pm
Bobby Travis says:
I wouldn't know where to start… there are so many different places online to buy (or not, if that is your thing…) books. You can get a traditional reader and buy in their proprietary format, or you can look into it a bit before hand and get a reader that people have developed converters for so you can buy most places and convert to your reader's format. You can also get many books in pdf form. Hell, the truly ambitious will scan their own — which generally means they own the book already….
I generally search for books online that I already own, so I can still have the regular book for both my shelf and my piece of mind, but also have it on my phone for when I am on the go.
July 8, 2009 — 2:19 pm
Evan says:
Thanks Kosmo. Interesting site you have. I still haven't forgiven the Rockies for knocking the Phillies out of the playoffs 2 years ago.
Yea, the Kindle does seem pricey. If it were in the $200 range, maybe I'd think about one.
July 8, 2009 — 7:00 pm