For most of us, tech plays a role in our day to day life. Which, one can clearly see this if they just sit and watch an average crowd of people on an average city street. In that average crowd – upwards of 80% of them will have at least a smartphone. And of that percentage, there is a certain amount who are trying to “keep up with the Jones” while another amount are using tech to somewhat enhance their day to day life and there are the geeks which tech is the only way to go.
For myself, I sit at the extreme end of the spectrum (tech is the only way to go) as I have been a geek all of my life. I’m not the type of geek who is in a technological horse race with other geeks to see who owns the best tech. I’m more of a what can tech do for me type of geek. In my mind any tech that I possess must be able to function well in my personal as well as my business life. As well, the tech that I use must be able to be of some benefit to me – like adding to my income. That being said – to the average person looking at me – it may seem like I’m a tech obsessed geek – but in reality I’m not. And if that average person looked at my use of tech on a day to day basis – they would see that it’s quite logical – as Star Trek’s Mr. Spock would say.
As one who sits on one end of the tech use spectrum, I must say that the other end of this spectrum – the “keep up with the Jones” is not logical at all. Because this is a segment who’s members are just wasting money in a vain attempt to be a part of the so called “in crowd.” As a consequence, they are also missing out on the many benefits that tech can bring them – because in their vanity – they failed to learn how the tech in their possession works. I say this because on a day to day basis I get questions from people which prove they have no clue as to how their tech works. E.G., I’ll get questions from people as to where a particular business is every day. Which, these very same people have smartphones in their possession but don’t know how to say “Hey Siri” or “OK Google.” Or “how do you power on/off this thing?” Or “how do you get the Internet?” I’ve even heard “how do you make a phone call?” Again, an illogical use of tech – just because Sally Jane had a smartphone, smartwatch or whatever – they had to keep up with her by buying the same thing (or better) that she had. Never mind what benefit that tech could bring to their lives if they only learned how to use it – they just purchased tech as a status symbol – and in the process wasted their money.
I know this is a free country and people have the right to purchase anything they wish to – but again, why buy tech for the purpose of vanity? Why buy something which can be wonderful benefit because of the power and capability it has just to show off? I just can’t get with that.
For now I’m going to leave the middle segment alone – perhaps in the future, I will address them.
On what end of the tech use spectrum do you sit? Leave a comment.