Learning technology is a skill

By Joel Myhre (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, April 12, 2008

When it comes to technology, one of the common things I have heard from the “older” generation is how the younger generation has a huge advantage over them, that somehow, they were equipped in the womb with a special set of brain cells that allows them to understand high-tech devices.

Hogwash, I say.

This week, I happened to talk to a lot of people about technology, specifically, the rise of the Internet in our everyday lives. And what I have found is that understanding how to manipulate the Internet, cellular phones, iPods and any other new device has nothing to do with age, and only a little bit to do with intelligence.

It’s all about overcoming fear, and having a willingness to learn.

Take my father, for example. In his mid-sixties, he’s certainly in an age group that, for the most part, is considered technology handicapped. Yet, my father has his own eBay site, figured out how to watch live streaming video of my daughter, and uses the voice recognition system on his cellular phone, among many other things.

Of course, he also has been interested in computers and technology since I was a kid. We were among the first on our block, so to speak, to purchase a Commodore 64 back in the 1980s. (It’s OK to call me a geek at this point.) We joined a local Commodore 64 users group, copied games and other programs, and even figured out how to use a modem before the Internet even existed.

As technology advanced, my father moved along with it. He has consistently purchased new computers and accessories as the old ones became obsolete, and then figured out how to use them. As the years have gone on, and has technological devices evolved from “toys” to vital cogs in the business world, my father has had an inherent advantage over others his age.

On the other side, my father-in-law was one that was basically on the opposite end of the spectrum. For the most part, he has avoided technology, unless it was something he truly felt he needed. However, for his job, he has needed to figure out how to use the Internet. It has taken him a while, and he went through a few bumps along the way, but slowly, he’s figured out how to get around. I believe I have caught him “browsing” on my computer while visiting at our house, and have heard him say, “I kind of like this Internet stuff.”

The bottom line is, learning how to use technology is a skill, no different than riding a bicycle, speaking Spanish, or figuring out an algebra equation. And for the most part, learning how to use technology is much easier than learning any of those things.

To be certain, if you want to learn how to design Web sites and dig into the intricacies of XML and JavaScript, the learning curve is much higher. However, if your desire or need is simply to learn how to browse the Internet, e-mail a friend or make a cellular phone call, doing so is only a matter of courage and patience.

•••••

Speaking of technology, for many years Thursday and Friday afternoons on the week of the Masters have always been relatively difficult for me. After all, I knew I had to do some work, but was drawn to the television set to watch the opening rounds.

Thanks to AT&T, as I write this, I have the live coverage of the Masters on my computer screen, complete with commentary, crowd roars and airplanes in the background.

Yes, we truly have advanced.

Joel Myhre is The Journal’s general manager. E-mail him at joel.myhre@fergusfallsjournal.com