THE POSITIVE PROFESSOR

SOCIAL media’s voice of calm Karol Sikora has been signed up by the Daily Express. Readers can now enjoy his soothing advice in these troubled times that have won him

hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter. If you need reassuring everything’s going to be all right read Professor Positivity. ONE of the many unwelcome consequences of how our society has changed over the last 12 months is the increasing reliance on technology to complete even the simplest tasks.

I see more and more shops only accepting cards or the need to download an app to do anything.

A recent story doing the rounds was of an elderly gentleman who had sadly lost his wife many months ago. On his first trip out of the house to go to the pub he was turned away because he did not have a smartphone. He couldn’t sign in using the tracing app, nor could he order food.

The pub in question has since apologised, but I wonder how many older people have been affected by this and it hasn’t been picked up in the media.

I understand that there should always be options for those without the tech, however we all know how many people can slip through the cracks. Quite often someone won’t want to cause a fuss and just won’t venture out.

Technology has been a life-saver for many over the last year and has kept us all connected, but I’m uncomfortable with the idea that you need to have a smartphone to participate in society.

I remember when a mobile phone was the size of a brick and the idea you could fit one in your pocket would have been laughed at. We all managed to get by just fine then without the technology.

I’m guilty of spending too much time buried in my phone too, especially since joining social media!

A little bit less time with our heads in the literal cloud and more time talking in person to friends and family is something we should all strive towards.