ADAPTING TO TECHNOLOGY

USE THE TOOLS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS TO ASSIST YOUR LIFE, BUT REMEMBER, THEY ARE NOT COMPULSORY

There seems to be a battle running between older generations and the younger generations regarding the use of time and technology and it’s something I find interesting to observe.

I love technology and while I am not necessarily an early adaptor, i.e. one who jumps into the new as soon as it appears, grabbing the “beta” version and playing with the new upgrades, I do like to keep up with efficient changes that assist me to continue to develop and learn.

What seems to be an issue is the difference (in terms of technology) in what is available to us now and what someone grew up with 30-plus years ago.

Let’s face it, the speed at which new technology reaches the market is overwhelming for many of us who grew up with bakelite crank handle phones on an exchange line where your phone number had four digits and you had to go through an operator to get put through. (And if you are asking questions about any of that then speak to your grandparents.)

However, the great thing about any of this stuff is that we aren’t obliged to keep up.

We always have a choice, and for people of older generations who were generally very practical, the key is to find the best of it that suits your purpose and keep the rest of the clutter out.

My older brother, once a very successful advertising and marketing guru, stepped away from technology, decrying it many years ago to find life on the farm. But he has realised now, as his children have grown, that he can be connected with them through social media and spend time with them when he can.

My preferred approach is not to be a passive observer sitting in front of my screen watching endless YouTube or other clips, nor spending hours creating a fake reality through various social media. It is to use the tools that are provided to create stories, pictures and presentations that I use in my working and recreational life.

Stephen Batchelor, a secular Buddhist, said: “We cannot choose whether to engage with the world, only how to”.

So rather than battle with new technology it is perhaps wiser to find its more practical uses at a personal level and avoid the frustration that comes when someone younger waves a new iPhone-something and says they hate Androids.

It’s important to remember that not everything we learn has to be applied, but everything we apply has to be learnt – and that takes time, not technology.