Being Digitally Illiterate in an Online World
In our ever-growing world surrounded by technology that seems to be evolving rapidly by the day, there is probably one person for every 50 who are completely inept when it comes to using technology.
Spoiler alert: that one person is me.
The worst part is that there truly is no reason for me to be completely useless when it comes to using a phone or a laptop. I grew up a digital native, with an iPad in hand, and got my first phone way too young, exposing myself to technology at a young age.
Yet, an outsider looking in would assume I have never been handed a technological device in my entire life.
Why is it that some individuals seem to be able to fix any tech issue that comes their way, while people like me have to look up a 12-step step-by-step on Google? (If I can even figure out how to do that.)
It could be my sheer lack of interest in technology. I have never been the person to wonder why a program is able to run on a certain computer but not on a different one. Nor have I ever cared about coding and how that works, even if I took endless classes on it throughout my academic career.
Does this explain my lack of capability, though? It seems the peers in my life know exactly how to troubleshoot a system when it goes down, or the shortcut to use to save their time when writing a paper. I am still copying and pasting the old-fashioned way by right-clicking; I had no idea you could just hit three buttons at the same time to yield the same result.
My lack of knowledge when it comes to tech-saviness has undoubtedly given me a lot of stress in life, not only in my current classes, but also for my future. The last thing I want is to seem behind because I do not know all the shortcuts and extensions and whatever else there is to understand, and I am aware I can learn, but this might just be a lost cause.
The scariest part is that technology is only growing, therefore becoming more confusing for someone like me. With all the advancements and progress made, who knows what five years down the line looks like with an already heavy influence of technology?
I feel as though we all need to be more understanding that technology is difficult. Just like anything else, some topics and ideas come naturally to some people, whereas some people have to work every day for what can feel like the bare minimum.
Personally, I know that there is still much to learn in the world of technology, and I'd better start learning before it is too late.
Some people go to the Apple store and look cherishingly on the elders learning how to use their phones, whereas I should probably be pulling up a seat next to them.
Strike Out,
Matty Wolfe
Boca Raton
Matty Wolfe is the Senior Editor for Strike Magazine Boca. This avid reality television consumer loves to escape the world as often as he can. You’ll find him outside often, working on his tan and playing mermaids in the ocean. He’s also a future Survivor contestant, even if the producers do not know it yet. You can reach him by email at mattheww0507@gmail.com
