When I was much younger I was always trying to keep up with all the latest fads and trends, particularly in computing and software. It was part of my job, plus I really enjoyed it.
As my career and various jobs evolved my need to keep up with things faded. I now find myself several steps behind the bleeding edge of technology, and I’m okay with that.
It seems to me over the past two or three decades the rate of change has increased. Technology is moving at an ever faster pace and for some of us older people it’s hard to try and keep up. My brain doesn’t adapt to new things as quickly as it used to.
Take banking, for example. When I first opened a bank account it was in a High Street branch. If I needed cash I had to go into the bank, present myself at cashier‘s window, and hand over a cheque made out for the sum required. Eventually there was an ATM installed so that people could withdraw cash at any time. This was good progress. Now, my local bank branches have all closed. The nearest actual physical branch of my bank is about 35 miles away, nearly in London. Reluctantly, I have been forced into using online banking for almost everything. Now, this is all fine—provided everything works as expected. When things start to go slightly wrong, however, it makes it harder to deal with anything out of the ordinary.
For example, today a regular payment on my credit card, for one of my website hosting packages, was refused. I can’t immediately find out why. I’ve been onto the online banking system, and everything seems fine. It could have been a “glitch” at the bank’s end of things, but I can’t tell, as a mere customer. I’m waiting for my hosting company to get back to me, on a weekend, so that I can sort this out. I have no idea why my card might’ve been refused. It was used only yesterday on another transaction.
I am not a Luddite. I am however not really comfortable with the way things change so quickly these days. I just get used to a system, say a mobile banking app, and I’m comfortable working within its framework, and then it all changes again and I’m lost or confused until I can settle down and work out how the new setup works.
When my online banking goes a bit wrong like this, I end up feeling very twitchy and on edge for ages. I feel so helpless. I can’t do anything to fix it. What I need to do is to be able to go into a physical High Street branch and deal with a human being. Sadly, that ain’t gonna happen.
I just wish things would stay the same, or evolve more slowly, to let oldies like us keep up.
(My hosting company has since sorted everything out. I like my hosting company. I recommend them without fear or favour. If you need web hosting, go to ineedwebhosting, up in Leeds. Tell them I sent you!)