Close menu

Technology: it’s in your jeans

You can tell the age of a tree by counting the rings in its trunk. And you can tell the age of a person by the number of computers they had in their school. When I was at school we had one. That places me firmly in the 45 to 50 age bracket. We would wander past and peer through the window – there it sat – all on its own. I can’t recall anyone ever using it? I don’t think anyone in our school actually knew how?

I am writing this on my new laptop. The room I’m in has three others, and a tablet and two iPods. Ken Robinson makes the point that children born today have IT in their DNA. Welcome to the world, here’s an iPad. Get scrolling. Whereas for anyone over 40, IT is their second language. We are less fluent in ‘technology’.

For anyone over 40, their first language is ‘human’.

And the point?

If you’re 40 plus, the days of face-to-face chat really were the ‘good old days’. The world was a bit slower. You had time to go to the pub at lunch and when you got back, nothing had happened. And I mean nothing! Now you daren’t go to the pub because of the stress of all the emails piling up while you’re away from your desk.

If you’re a bit younger than 40, technology may well be in your genes (and your jeans pocket come to think of it), but spare a thought for us oldies. We love chatting. Face-to-face human connections makes us happy.

Andy