How to make technology your friend

Do you see technology as a friend or foe?

When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s, all phones were black and had dials, typewriters were manual, cameras had film and music was on records. Now in 2020, phones are “dialed” by tapping on them, typewriters don’t exist, your phone is your camera that takes photos and videos, and music is on mp3 players. Oh how technology changes the way things are done! By the way, why do we still say that we dial a number when we actually press buttons? Hmmm.

All of these were technology AND everyone knew how to use them. So why are many people afraid of technology today? There are lots of reasons even if people use it often.

• it’s too difficult to learn
• I don’t need to use all the features
• I can’t learn/ use it
• I’m too old
• I don’t have time to learn it

It comes down to the fact that all of us have difficulty with change. In the 70s people said “I’m not mechanically inclined”. Now they say “I’m not technically savvy”.

My belief then as now is that it’s mindset. I don’t know who said “if you think you can, you can and if you think you can’t, you can’t” or something like that.

What can YOU do?

First and foremost you can change the mindset that you have that says “I can’t do technology.” In order to do that, there are several things you can do.

1. take one technology and learn what it can do and what it can do for you in your business or personal life. As an example, let’s use smartphones. A smartphone can be known as a mobile or cellphone. It has an operating system (like a computer does), can allow you to take photos and videos, record notes you may have, check and respond to email and look at posts and websites. It can be your media player (mp3s), it has a touchscreen and can run 3rd-party apps. Decide which apps you need. Become a knowledgeable consumer.

2. find an expert who won’t use “geekspeak when talking with you and will explain things to you until you understand.

3. find someone to do it for you. I tried my hand at programming several decades ago and decided it wasn’t for me. So whenever I need a new website, I make a list of the features I need, then do due diligence on the person I choose — and voila — it gets done for me!

I know what I want, my web designer answers my “techy” questions as I have them and then teaches me how to use it and how to make content additions or changes myself. And I don’t have to do any programming!

It starts by having an attitude where you say to yourself “I can’t do it so I’ll hire someone who can.” There are lots of things we think we can’t do but in reality we aren’t willing to spend the time needed to learn that thing. But hiring someone could be worth our while. We should be doing the thing we love to do!

Have I succeeded in convincing you that you need to change your attitude? What have you done?

 Originally posted January 18, 2015