Who ARE these people?
Perhaps this is my "Luddite" arc, but it's time to again mine the depths of how we struggle with technology. By the way, after 40-odd years I was told last week it's pronounced "LUDE-ITE", instead of "LUDD-ITE"--tells you how much I know...
Anyway, I've been ruminating recently about technology marketing. You've seen them--the advertising on television that shows these highly-connected people being hyper-productive in all manner of locations.
They're whipping out their BlackBerries, their iPhones, and God-knows-what else and the next thing you know it's like some scene out of a sci-fi movie. They're moving information around like the stock boys at Wal-Mart, all in real-time and all with blazing speed and accuracy.
It's terribly impressive, but I have a simple question--who on Earth ARE these people? And what about their jobs is SO important that they need to be connected out the wazoo? Have you ever met any of these people? Have you ever met anyone who HAS met any of these people?
I consider myself reasonably "hip" with technology but seriously--do we really NEED all that? Perhaps it's a function of the "laggard" market in which I work but I've never, EVER, had a situation that called for Information Access on Steroids.
These people may be the same ones who grab their Palm or iPhone as soon as the airplane wheels hit the runway. And what is so important that they need to utilize a multi-billion dollar network of highly sophisticated electronics?
"We just landed. I'll be at Baggage Claim in 10 minutes."
Well, thank God for that News Flash--I know I'll sleep better tonight.
So the Luddite returns to an old topic--technology is essentially a pencil--a tool to be used to make us more productive and effective. Having access to everything all the time doesn't do that--it only allows us ACCESS. What you do with that access is the determinant of our productivity.
I would guess most of us have little need for all that whiz-bang, especially given the whiz-bang pricetag that's attached to it. Just because we CAN have a given amount of technology doesn't mean we SHOULD...
Pete
posted by Pete Mitchell at 11:19 PM
1 Comments:
I think the problem is that the technology is dictating our response time now. We HAVE to respond the minute we touch down because the time on the plane (for now -- on some airlines....) is the ONLY time we're not accessible. (If I hear one more woman on the phone in the restroom stall next to me....take a break for God's sake).
But we can Man Up! WE can control the technology and NOT the other way around. I've been chastised (by my Mom usually) for not answering the land line at home when I'm in the middle of something...that's ME using the technology on my terms. I shut off my phone when I'm having lunch with someone or on an appointment. I actually think it's rude to be on the phone while the bank teller or Barista is trying to help me.
Radical, I know! I answer calls and e-mail when I want to and NOT just because that delightful yet annoying tone is playing. (Delightful when it's mine...annoying when it's someone else's).
But then, what do I know: You should see the looks I get when I'm using my paper appointment calendar.....
Post a Comment
<< Home