I'm Scared of Technology!

In my last post, I touched briefly on the reluctance of many to adapt to new technological advances.
As I have stated before, there are so many new technologies in our lives that help us to complete the simplest of tasks. In this day and age, I can do my grocery shopping online or even set timers in my home for my lights to come on automatically. I can go to the Campus Center at my school and order a sandwich right off of a computer, and it'll be ready for me in a few short minutes.

Although the usages  of technology in these instances are supposed to make our lives a bit easier, I cannot help to think that oftentimes, they complicate our lives even further. Sometimes, I find that it is even frustrating to have to make another step to get to something that we need. Also, I think that inserting technology into our everyday tasks is another step towards hampering our ability to interact with others. I know that for many, it is annoying when they have to deal with anything that is automated or digital.


So, when people say that they are "not good" with technology, what do you think that this truly means? I have seen many people zoom by with their electronics, while others fumble with sending an email or uploading a picture to Facebook, but where exactly does this come from? Is it that they are not interested in technology, or is it that the ability to function with technology is actually a skill, one that must be learned and developed.

For me personally, I think the latter. Being technologically savvy is a skill, and just like in any other subject, if you do not apply yourself, then you will not succeed. I have seen my two year old nephew work an iPhone and I have seen many examples of elderly people staying in touch with relatives via FaceTime or other video chat applications. What does this say about everyone else? I think it shows that they are not willing to put in the effort to to succeed.

However, as we move further into the future, I believe that this aversion to technology will become increasingly problematic. If technology is becoming more and more integral to our everyday existence, then how can one expect to function if they refuse to react positively to change? In relation to previous MOOC Talks, I believe that a large part of metaliteracy comes from our ability to remain updated and verse in new technological advances. A large part of news, media and global literacy is contingent on our ability to navigate news and media sites, and even social networks. Digital storytelling, another big part of metaliteracy, cannot be participated in without being aware of technological practices.

I believe that all of the topics that we learned about throughout this course are all variants of metaliteracy in practice, but mastery in any of them cannot be achieved without at least a rudimentary understanding of the importance of technology.

So, if you think that technology isn't the thing for you, I must say that I think you are sorely missing out. Yes, technology may be overused at times, but you cannot truly say that it does not help to make our lives exponentially easier. I think that if you want to be a functioning member of the metaliterate world, you must start by broadening your technological world.