DON’T FEAR THE TECH…..

*I know I promised a posting on interesting To 60 and Beyond women characters in fiction and media (in the biz, we call it a “tease”), but it is still a work in progress. And it’s my blog and I can do what I want!*

I pull out my “never without” smartphone and scroll through the many apps. I find the  Weight Watchers icon, click to open and…..nothing. All of the items I scanned, the recipes I saved, my weigh-in stats, gone. NOOOOOOOO!

Yes, this is why we fear tech. The ability to lose so much so quickly. It’s panic inducing. You swear, as god is your witness, you will never trust tech again. When the pop up screen asks me that life altering question: “ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DELETE?”, I feel the tightening around my heart and wonder, what does this machine know that I don’t know? Many times, I have said no so I could ponder the deeper meaning of that question.

Today I want to talk about Tech. Wait! Don’t click out! Sticking your head in the sand and hoping we will revert back to quill pens and land lines is not going to help you.

I enjoy technology. There I said it. From Amazon’s one click buy it now feature to Stitcher for podcast listening to designing and sending invitations using evite – it’s all good.

As I have said before, I work from home. This means that my working world observations concerning To 60 and Beyond women and technology is non-existent . I see, through the lens of my laptop, that lots of our group are “all in”.  But in my circle of female friends and acquaintances, many express a general fear of tech and some show open disdain.

Why do so many of the To 60 and Beyond women fear tech, hate tech and see tech as evil?

Fear of  looking stupid because you don’t understand it all? I think this is common among every person using tech today, across all ages. Except for the super elite of the tech world (and by that I mean hackers), everyone else is playing a game of catch-up. ALL. THE. TIME.  

Fear of hacking? This is a legitimate worry. But I can assure you that even if you are still writing checks and using stamps, every institution you are dealing with is neck-deep in possibilities for getting hacked and you getting your information stolen without you so much as having a pin number. We all need to have more knowledge about how to protect ourselves and that can’t happen if we refuse to keep up with the tech.

Hate tech? Is this part of that rigid mind-set again? I see a two-year-old having a temper tantrum. Stomping her feet and saying, “But I don’t wanna learn the tech! And you can’t make me!” Then there is the moral superiority. “I can’t be bothered with that. Who has time?”  Don’t make the rest of us feel like basement hackers because we enjoy trolling Facebook.

Do you hate the washer and dryer? How about air conditioning and ice makers? No, because they make your life easier. Why is tech any different?  Let’s look at one app: YELP. Download to your smart phone and there is  help  finding a restaurant nearby (traveling?), getting reviews, making a reservation and getting directions all from this one app. It’s the difference between eating at a great local restaurant or the Subway you saw on the corner.  

Tech moves fast. Many times  I have mastered something only to have it change significantly or become obsolete. The fax machine – once cutting edge, now the butt of jokes.  Where once I couldn’t keep paper in the fax machine, now the 3 faxes a year we receive  come through our office computer. (And I openly mock whoever sent it). I have found that making an effort to keep up with technology helps when the  2.0 version comes along.

When I introduced Paul to Cut & Paste,  I saw the clouds part over him as the “AH HA” moment happened. Whoever wrote that code should receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Learn at least some of the lingo. This reminds me of the scene in “Date Night” with Tina Fey and Steve Carell. She has no idea what a flash drive is. As he starts explaining, she says, “OH! The computer sticky thing? In my office we call it the computer sticky thing.” This can be especially helpful when you are on the phone with (overseas) tech support, which gives new meaning to lost in translation. Think of it as one of those brain games that is supposed to keep your mind young.  

Tech as evil? Nothing inanimate is imbued with evil. It’s all about how it affects you. It’s the difference between having a drink and being an alcoholic. Having a slice of pie and bingeing. Buying a pair of shoes and being Imelda Marcos (brownie points if you get that reference).

How do you get some knowledge? For me it started with our business. It’s learn or perish in the business community. At the economic downturn, it was apparent that not having, at the very least,  adequate tech skills and upgraded systems would put us at a serious disadvantage. So we invested and we learned. It was trial and error. It was challenging. Sometimes it was screamingly frustrating. On the personal side, (using Facebook,or digital photo editing, etc) I played with apps (making sure I wasn’t using valuable personal information that I couldn’t afford to lose). YOUTUBE! So many great tutorials you can watch over and over. You can always annoy your children with multiple emails, texts and facetime conversations. Remember how many times you answered, “But why, mommie?”

So, dive in ladies. What’s the worst that could happen? It could all disappear in the Cloud.

NEXT TIME (unless I change my mind): STAYING HEALTHY…..TOO MUCH INFORMATION!