Tech Support Needed

I’m not against technology! Most of my friends would disagree with that statement.  I remember when our living room TV had a pair of rabbit ears on the top.  It was magical, but all it did was allow us to catch magical vibrations going through the air and winding up as moving pictures on a screen in your house.  We didn’t have remotes back then so dad would say move the right ear to the left just a little  oh and while you are up get me another beer.  That technology didn’t bother me at all.  It was directed toward something i understood and had a modicum of control over.  And then TV antennas on the roof came about and we had little control over that nor did we need it.  There was a phone usually on the kitchen wall and one on a table in the living room.  The only technology knowledge we needed was fitting your pointer finger into a round hole and moving the dial around to where it couldn’t go any further.  And after you did that 7 times, magically a voice would speak to you. Easy, no sweat!  Technology was easy back then, helpful and manageable.  After that cable came in. I didn’t understand how it worked but it was manageable and uncomplicated to handle.  I should have suspected that that was the beginning of the mercilous onslaught of never ending “things” meant  
to make life easier.  My brother got a reel to reel tape recorder so he could record songs and sing into it himself, transistor radios became popular and we carried them all over with us to listen to Cousin Brucie in NYC and 1010 wins NY.  These were all good things, fun things, making life easier and more pleasant.  These things didn’t turn around and bite you when you weren’t looking!  I didn’t even mention the portable typewriter!   We had to learn to type without looking at the keyboard.

But then, all of a sudden, as if in a foreign war, we started getting bombarded with all kinds of stuff that we had to be taught how to use.  Cell phones.  Great- we can call people from wherever we are day or night- that’s cool.  Before you could only pace around in a small space while chatting.  Maybe if the chord was long enough you could take the kitchen receiver into the living room and sit down to talk but more often the chord wasn’t quite long enough and we wound up sitting on the arm of some wiggly wooden arm of gramma’s old desk chair.  But that was the most harm it could do.  Then cell phones morphed into little computers and suddenly we had to have passwords to make a call  and you had to remember the password.  Computers were becoming popular too and people started getting them for their homes.  More stuff to learn, and more passwords to remember.  God forbid you used the same password on two different “devices,” because that was a definite no no!  Our modes of transportation were picking up more slowly on technology but even cars were developing.  All the things growing up that we felt entirely comfortable with were now changing.  TV’s, radios, phones, computers, machines in stores like cash registers, soda and candy machines it was overwhelming for me.  I don’t have a technological bone in my body so my mind doesn’t adjust well to this stuff.  And I could go on talking about other changes that were  occurring and forcing us to deal with but what i really want to chat about is the danger in these things.

Years ago, the new machines were helpful and basically non-punitive but today that has all changed.  I try to use the technology like when I buy things online but even then I get punished. I bought a beautiful watch I saw online, not that I need one because my phone tells me the time, so does my computer, but I wanted this watch.  I ordered it and it came in 2 days.  I love it!, but then the next day  another one came, exactly the same and so did my charge bill with 2 charges from the same company for two other things i didn’t order.  I called my credit card company and told them and they said it would be best if i worked it out with the company.  The punishment is just beginning. I called and explained but there was an extended waiting time of over 30 minutes.   Anyway, the story goes on and I think I have resolved the issue after several days of punishment dealing with the credit card people and the watch company.  Fine, then another charge card comes in with two charges from Macon, Georgia totaling $340.  Different credit card company but a little easier to deal with.  Then my daughter calls and I tell her what happened and I get the lecture about not giving out any numbers over the phone because thieves  steal them and use them wherever.  So what the hell is so important about  passwords.  I am watching tv and I hear that there are people who go around now stealing the deed to your home by finding out your basic information about your finances, your bank and then get a copy of your deed and mortgage and you don’t own the house anymore. You don’t even know it until you get humungus bills to pay off on your equity.  This morning before I left the house to grocery shop I received 14 different phone calls on my land line all from my old area code.  I decided I would call them all back and annoy them.  Each number I called brought the same answering machine explaining they could offer me better car insurance rates than the company I have now.  How do they know who my insurance company is?  Or that I want to lower my premium.  I also got 3 calls from police organizations wanting me to donate to help protect their members which I have been advised by my son is a real scam!

 Anyhow- —enough.  Technology is eventually going to win and cheat us all out of something.  I just don’t understand how to maneuver my way around the modern technology and why should I have to?  Where are all these smart inventors who came up with this technology and why can’t they figure out a way to make it safe to work on without the fear or losing your house, your inheritance, your first born.  Too bad all these creative crooks out there don’t put their creativity into doing good for the world!

There Are Help Desks

At the heart of George’s post is a plea against invasive technology that has the ability to cause harm. I’d guess we all agree that scams are on the rise. In fact, The NY Times called out a hacker group that advertises disruptive cyberattacks for pay: you can buy a ‘school shutdown’ attack for fifty bucks!

The truth is, technology is about potency. Its force multiplier for productivity and entertainment is evident, just as is the potential for exploitation. It seems to me that George’s complaint is about the balance of power – whether that membrane between the private and the shared has gotten too permeable. Technology that was once just ‘one-way’ has become interactive. Even our phones are listening.

Yet, many of us post our private life on social media without a thought of how it can “bite you”. We post our thoughts, pictures, and information for the world to see. We use GPS systems to find destinations while traveling, but overlook the capability of those systems for tracking our own whereabouts.

I believe we engage in voluntary submission of private data, because we still believe in good will. The root cause of George’s concern is the abrogation of good will; the willingness of people to do harm for personal gain. Sure, that has always been a human failing, but now we have provided better weapons  — weapons that seem magical or mysterious. And what we don’t comprehend, we fear. Unfortunately, the fear of new-fangled technology can isolate us as we age. 

It’s foolish to believe that the world has never been a dangerous place. And it’s ineffective to decry technology, simply because it has potency. You don’t use a sharp tool without understanding methods for safe use. And perhaps that sharp tool allows you to achieve wonderful results.

Meeting the Technology Challenge

Whatever topic George creates is certain to be imbued with vivd, often humorous, homespun stories from his personal life and, in that regard, this post does not disappoint.  George begins by painting a picture of technology form the old days when it felt simple, easily understood, and non threatening.  As we read on we catch the drift of his message as technology for him advances from helpful to more complicated to harmful.  Indeed, I understand his point and agree that there are times, for me, when present technology is frustrating, difficult to grasp in its expansiveness, and brings a  high degree of caution to my everyday usage.  But I don’t draw the same conclusion about technology as does my colleague.

I feel my life is vastly enhanced and well worth the challenges it poses.  Early this spring we wrote about the impact of technology on senior citizens in response to one of our readers’ querys.  In my piece I focused on the many ways I use modern and present day advances to my benefit. But I often spend more time on the positive and give less attention to the challenges in my life.  Good or bad, I recognize that not all people see the world as I do and perhaps I can spend more of my time to address these issues without feeling like I’ve sunk below the median level of water in the glass half full/half empty idiom.

To George’s point, it certainly feels like life was a lot easier and simpler when we were young. There are several reasons I believe that is true:

1. Whatever technology we grew up with was practiced by us, influenced by our peers, and at a time when we were full of energy and curiosity.
2. Advancements in technology occurred more slowly over a longer period of time allowing us to adapt more comfortably and in an as yet limited information age.
3. It helped separate us from our parents and elders as they were less likely to use new technology or see it as “necessary.”(Uh oh!  Have you become your parents?)
4. We felt more or less invulnerable and thus didn’t see the hidden dangers in changes or fear them.

George states: “Years ago the new machines were helpful and basically non-punitive but today that has all changed.”  Yeah, it can certainly feel that way as electronics become basic to our way of life and lack of knowledge about how to use them can push us away or worse, keep us from doing the things we enjoy.  Case in point, Teresa and I went to a movie last year where the theatre had no ticket windows.  In their place stood an enormous kiosk for selecting movies and seats and only took credit or debit cards!  

And, if George refers to punitive to mean negative consequences, I can also see his point. As senior citizens we aren’t as adept, savy or incentivized to “keep up” and as confirmed by AI, there are more people scamming and more scams (especially geared towards seniors) than every before largely because of technology. It can be scary!

(Okay, time to move up a bit in that proverbial glass of water.)   So what can we do as senior citizens in a world that changes faster than we can comfortably adapt to and becomes more alien to us each day as new technology invades our lives?  If we bury our heads and label it negatively, I believe we limit the happiness of the time we have left.  But if we choose carefully and manage those new systems that are integral to our lives, I think we can see and feel that the benefits outweigh the challenges.  Here are some things we can do and I hope our readers can add to this list in the comment section of our blog:

• Use AARP as a resource for ideas, information about scams, and links to helpful information especially for seniors. 
• Use your children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors for assistance.  They likely enjoy showing you what they know and you get to interact with them in a meaningful way.
• Ask AI – Use Siri, or Chrome or whatever browser you have about a question or concern you have.  It’s impressive how much information and assistance you can get in a very short period of time.
• Use YouTube to look up “how to.”  It’s amazing how many resources there are to see and hear a video about how to do something.
• If something electronic comes looking for you to buy – don’t!  
• Shop online with trusted companies
• Take courses on electronics or for seniors or about scams from your local adult ed programs.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.  Anyone who keeps learning stays young.  The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”  Henry Ford