Digital Life
Matthew Webster
How did you learn to use your computer and the internet? I’m prepared to bet that it was pretty much by trial and error. Not because you were overconfident, but simply because there was no decent alternative. Most manuals are either poorly written or out of date, and so you had no choice but to stumble on, doing your best.
You wouldn’t want to learn to drive a car that way, I’ll be bound. I’ve often likened the development of personal computers to that of cars. In their early days, both were big, expensive and unreliable; you needed to employ a specialist to operate and maintain them.
As time passed, they both became cheaper, more reliable, easier to use and an intrinsic part of many households. Indeed, there is much talk of them merging, with driverless cars being mooted. We’ll see about that; I have my doubts.
However, old-fashioned cars with drivers still comfortably beat computers for user-friendliness, for two reasons.
First, we have agreed a universal set of basic controls: steering wheel, pedals and so on. This means that we can all swap cars and drive away with no, or almost no, instruction. Computers are a long way from this happy familiarity; try to use a friend’s laptop and you’re likely to find yourself in alien territory pretty fast.
Secondly, a driving test has been compulsory since 1935; so all drivers achieve a basic level of competence. They therefore have a better chance of making the most of their vehicles. By contrast, anyone can buy and use a computer, and may never get past the basics.
Given the way in which the government and most organisations seem determined to get us to transact all our business with them online, I think it’s about time that, in return, they helped us all to achieve some sort of minimum standard of online competence, at a level that would make us safer and less frustrated digital humans, just as driving lessons make us safer drivers.
Obviously, it’s not a precise parallel, and I’m not suggesting that you should have to pass a test to be allowed a computer of your own (although, on reflection, it’s not the worst idea I’ve had); and I’m certainly not against using trial and error to learn how to use a computer. In fact, I often recommend it as a way of gaining confidence, if nothing else. But I am constantly surprised by how digitally inept even educated people in their twenties can be, despite having known nothing but a digital world since they were small.
So, isn’t it about time that we handed out some basic digital education to all?
You can do it yourself, of course. There is much online, and your local college may help; it’s worth having a look. For example, one near me offers a course called ‘Beginners Computing for Todays world’ (sic). I hope it includes teaching the use of apostrophes.
The course is in ten weekly sessions of two hours, which is fine; learning to use a computer is just like learning to drive; it works best if you have frequent, fairly short lessons (ideally one-to-one) with lots of practice in between. But it would be encouraging to see the government taking a lead. It’s one thing getting us all onto broadband – but we should be taught to use it, not just left to flounder.
If you feel you might like to dip a toe in this sort of water, why not join me and some other Oldie readers on 11th April in London? I will be leading a day-long seminar aimed at helping you get the best from the internet – shopping, searching, banking, photos, diaries and more. Go to www.theoldie.co.uk for more details.
companies (‘fintech’ for short) will develop apps to help you manage your money. And you can be sure that monsters such as Amazon and Google are monitoring open banking.
Before long, apps will warn you when you are about to go overdrawn; they will automatically keep you on the best energy deal, insurance premium and mobile phone contract; they will send money to friends through an instant message on your phone without going through your bank; and remind you which credit card to use for which purchase.
There are already apps that update your bank account in real time, so you can check your balance at the point of spending; grant cashback without your having to use loyalty cards or voucher codes; round up your spending to the nearest pound and put the balance into an Isa. But at the moment you have to give them your bank password. With open banking, your log-in details remain confidential to your bank. Confusingly, different EU rules have also come in this year, allowing you to share your log-ins and passwords with third parties.
Opinion is divided as to whether open banking will be a banking revolution or a fraudsters’ charter.
You will have the same consumer protection as now because anyone accessing your bank account must be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, but establishing exactly who is to blame might be difficult. There will inevitably be risks. A company holding your information could suffer a cyber attack, as happened to the credit agency Equifax. Fraudsters will set up fake copycat websites to trick you into giving them consent. So, if you are attracted by open banking, always look for the padlock symbol on any website you use and stay alert.