You’ve heard of early adopters, right? Excited about new technology, always eager for the next great gadget?
Then there are the total refuseniks, the ones who aren’t on Facebook or who don’t have cell phones.
Somewhere in the middle, but closer to the second group, are people like me.
My family got its first computer when I was still a kid. But it was always an older computer. I remember using WordPerfect 5.1, orange text on a black screen, for years. Yep, that was on DOS. The other day someone in my household ran into computer problems and ended up at a DOS prompt, and then at a DOS Shell menu…cue the nostalgia! I remember first using email in DOS, and being annoyed when the Internet started going graphic and our computer didn’t have that capability so it got harder and harder to surf the web…
I got my first digital camera and my first cell phone in 2004 — and there was no going back. Those two things were just too convenient. No more paying to develop tons of rolls of photos after a long trip? The ability to phone anyone…from anywhere? Eureka!
Still I remained a late adopter. I got a laptop in 2005 only because an acquaintance was selling one, an ereader in 2011 only because it was a gift. (The laptop was another game-changer; the ereader less so, although I now read about 1/3 of my books in ebook form and my bookshelves thank me for it.)
And just under two months ago, I finally got a smartphone.
Readers, I married it. I carry it with me everywhere. I take it out just to play with because it’s fun to hold and swipe and all that. It’s solved several niggling problems — now I have my calendar, the weather, the ability to make notes and lists on the go (did I mention I’m a compulsive list-maker?), the ability to look up things like restaurant locations and movie listings while I’m out, and the ability to send text messages without laboriously producing each letter by tapping on the numeric keypad (yep, my previous phone was that old). And I know I’ve just scratched the surface of what it can do.
One thing I’m still resisting: social media on my phone. I haven’t set up email, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, even though I do all of those things on the computer. I just don’t want to be that constantly connected.
I’m not sure exactly why I’m resisting. Maybe it’s because I prefer to be more “present” in the moment — a laudable goal. On the other hand, maybe it’s because I’ve read too many articles about the evils of technology these days, texting while walking, teens being disconnected from the world, and so on and so on. (Obligatory XKCD reference here.)
For the record, I don’t believe in the evils of technology these days (in a general sense; of course, caution and questioning and simple living are often wise). I’m even working on a story that’s specifically a reaction to that way of thinking. But it does give me pause.
This past weekend, my home Internet connection was out. I checked a few things on my phone, and tethered the phone to my computer for brief periods to do some necessities. But by Monday night I cracked. I set up my RSS feed reader on my phone and proceeded to devour all the Internets I’d been missing.
(If you’re not up on all these terms, a feed reader, such as Feedly, is a way to collect all the blogs and many of the websites you read regularly into one place so you don’t have to keep checking back for new posts. It looks much like an email inbox. And yes, discovering the existence of feed readers was another game-changer for me.)
This may be the beginning of the end, or perhaps the end of the beginning. Will I be walking around wearing a Google Glass next year and an Internet implant five years after that? Or will I reverse course, run off into the woods and shun the use of electricity and plumbing as being too newfangled? Only time will tell…
From my teenage years throughout my mid twenties I was an early adopter; staying on the bleeding edge of technology. Then I took a decade off, I fell in with the mainstream crowd. I was happy and content; I spent a lot of time working with my hands building physical things. I did possess various cell phones, but they were always off and left in the car, they were used in case of emergencies.
Then as I changed directions and shifted my hobbies towards more social activities, the power, value and draw of the smartphone sucked me in. Sure, I resisted at first…. I picked up a very inexpensive smartphone with a very crummy service plan. As I discovered its abilities to keep me in touch with people, and to deliver the internet to me anywhere anytime to look up locations, menus, business hours and so on I was hooked, addicted and needed more.
The cheap phone and crummy plan weren’t cutting it. So I upgraded to top end unlocked phone that I could customize anyway I wanted. In the last year I have spent countless hours comparing apps and tweaking the phone’s settings. I must admit, this week I read though detailed lessons on how to write your first android app.
With the increasing costs of cable TV and the fact that I barely watch it, I cut the cord. I now watch a few programs online, and I have an internet based device that delivers content to my TV.
But to the dismay of some of my friends I still resist the social media channels: facebook, twitter and the rest. If I feel the need to give or receive advice and opinions, I nearly always do it the old fashioned way; in person if possible or over the phone if need be.
Customized phone and no social media…interesting combination! Sounds like you’ve been all over the place — Luddite vs. early adopter isn’t a clear-cut divide for you, as it’s often made out to be.
I think that’s key to remember…that people can adopt technology unevenly. Plenty of older folks use ereaders, for example, and my great-aunt is on Facebook!
I didn’t mention in the post, but I don’t watch TV at all (nowadays — I certainly did in my teens and early 20s, before I moved out). I watch the very occasional episode of something on my computer, but that’s about it. I’ve even shifted from watching movies at home to seeing them in theatre instead. My screen-based timewaster/entertainment of choice is the computer, not the TV.
Anyway, good luck writing apps, if you decide to go down that road!
Siri
I’ve been resisting a smart phone for a while now. I probably won’t resist much longer.
Come to the Dark Side, we have cookies!
In reply I do use facebook, I tend not to post very often and never about personal things. I highly doubt I’ll ever write an android app. I simply possess a very strong drive to understand how things work, I’ve studied plumbing, carpentry, electricity, machinery & mechanics, physics, computers, programming and business, and possess degrees or certificates in most of those areas. All of my recent learning has been aided by the internet. Either directly such as learning to do a brake job on my car by watching youtube videos; or by arranging inter-library loans to learn about subjects that are currently better covered in books.
Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, and it certainly does; but at a cost. It doesn’t always work right, or the way we want it to. So we spend time leaning about it, finding and implementing solutions. These are activities I tend to enjoy and invest countless hours performing, but we tend not to have results that are terribly tangible. Yes, problems were solved and short term goals achieved; but looking back a year or decade later, the tech has changed what was is now meaningless. Often the physical things we create have a useful lifespan and provide benefits for years or decades. Compare the useful life spans of a house or novel to those of a blog post or computer program.
I’m a wannabe early adopter whose pragmatism ends up placing me at the leading edge of the mid-term adopters. I see gadgets (the latest was the pebble) that I *dream* about. Yearn for. Follow hungrily until their release.
Then, I read the reviews. And am reminded of why first gen products are kind of *meh*–lots of promised features, few actually implemented by the release date (and many that never will be, if the product doesn’t take off); prone to crashes; buggy, etc. The pragmatist in me says “I guess I’ll wait for the 2gen. Or maybe the 3gen.”
I guess it’s because I drool over gadgets for some potential functionality, not the cool factor of being the first kid in the class to get it. If the promised functionality isn’t there, or isn’t reliable, I’ll wait. But as soon as it is, I’m queueing up (though not physically–no 5 am sleeping bag lineups for me–just online) with all the other eager hordes of gadget hounds.
Agreed! I want gadgets that DO things, and like you, I’ve seen that many of the new ones don’t actually work. So I’ll wait and watch and try to make an informed decision once the hype clears.
Sounds like you’re a bit of a Renaissance man! I love soaking up bits of information too (and yes, mostly via the Internet) — not so much about how things work, just neat things about the world, society, and people.
Good point about the physical vs. the short-term technology. That’s one reason why I took up gardening last year…not that most gardening tasks have a long lifespan, but they do have tangible results that balance all the less tangible stuff I do the rest of the time.
And then there’s contra dance, which is both physical and ephemeral…
Siri
See, I tend to read and think “Ooh, that sounds cool, but I don’t really NEED it…” Which is how I ended up going years without a smartphone. And I still don’t own a tablet.
On the other hand, I keep having experiences with my new phone that make me wonder how I ever lived without it. Just this morning it took away 80% of the stress and uncertainty of a weather-related transit delay. There was still a stressful delay, but I could see exactly when it would clear (thank you, RocketMan app!). So maybe I need to apply a little more imagination when reading about potential functionality!
On the OTHER other hand,* I have no patience for solving technical problems. So being a mid-early adopter, like you, is as early as I’m gonna get.
* insert Zaphod Beeblebrox joke here
Siri
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