Contents
Every day there are more and more gadgets around us, and they have more and more updates. Many are happy and inspiring. But there are those who are afraid about this, and even disgust. Is there something wrong with them?
Lyudmila, at 43, still hasn’t installed Skype on her computer. Never downloaded music. She uses her mobile phone exclusively for calls and text messages. Has no idea how to use WhatsApp or Telegram. She is not at all proud of this: “Friends say:“ You’ll see, it’s easy! ”, But the world of technology seems too vague to me. I do not dare to enter it without a reliable guide.
What could be the reasons for this?
A victim of tradition
Maybe it’s worth fighting not with obstinate computer programs, but with your own prejudices? “Many have been brought up in a traditionally male-dominated environment in which everything related to technology,” recalls psychoanalyst Michel Stora, a digital specialist in the humanities. Some women find it difficult to let go of these unconscious ideas.
However, the specialist emphasizes, today “among video game players, 51% are women!”
Another prejudice: the pointlessness of these fancy gadgets. But how can we judge their usefulness if we have not experienced them ourselves?
Reluctance to learn
Technophobes often believe that learning new technologies requires a vertical transfer of knowledge from teacher to student.
Having reached a certain age, not everyone wants to be again, even symbolically, in the role of a student on the school bench. Especially if the school years were painful, and the need to make efforts in the learning process left a bitter aftertaste. But this is what the technological revolution is about: the use and development of devices occurs simultaneously. “When we work with the interface, we learn how to perform some actions on it,” explains Michel Stora.
Lack of self-confidence
As we dive into new technologies, we often find ourselves alone in the face of progress. And if we do not have enough faith in our abilities, if we were taught from childhood that “we do not know how”, it is difficult for us to take the first step. “Initially immersed in this universe, “generation Y” (those born between 1980 and 2000) has advantages,” notes the psychoanalyst.
But everything is relative. Technology is advancing so fast that anyone who isn’t professionally involved with computers can feel left behind at some point. If we take this philosophically, we can assume that, compared to the leaders of this industry, we all “understand nothing in technology.”
What to do
1. Let yourself learn
Children, nephews, godchildren – you can ask your Gen Y loved ones to show you the way to new technologies. It will be useful not only for you, but also for them. When a young person teaches adults, it helps him gain self-confidence, understanding that elders are not omnipotent.
2. Be assertive
Instead of apologizing for your ineptitude, you could very well become a principled opponent of digital devices, «digital libertarians,» as Michel Store puts it. They are «tired of the constant haste», they refuse to respond to every signal of the mobile phone and proudly defend their «original old-fashionedness».
3. Appreciate the benefits
Trying to do without gadgets, we risk missing out on the significant benefits that they could bring us. If we make a list of their useful sides, we may want to cross the threshold of the high-tech world. When it comes to job search, presence in professional networks is essential today. Technology also helps us find a travel companion, a friend of interest, or a loved one.