So why are people afraid of technology?

Is it the time you need to put in to learn it? Is it the money you have to put into it? Or maybe is it the fear you won’t find it useful or will not be able to manage it?

Why are people scared of technology? Are they? It struck me some time ago that the problem is quite simple: most of us don’t like experimenting. We need some kind of authority – a friend, a newspaper article a review found on a website. We listen to the advice, we believe it and only then we act. We buy a new phone, a new gadget or invest in some more sophisticated technology. This is as true as it comes to the food we eat, the religion we believe, the politicians we vote for, the cars we buy.

We come to the edge, but if nobody pushes us we will never jump.

Come to the edge

‘Come to the edge’, he said.

They said, ‘We are afraid.’
‘Come to the edge’, he said.
They came.
He pushed them …
and they flew.

– Guillaume Apollinaire

It’s normal to get a bit dizzy when you look down. You’re at the edge and it’s no shame to be affraid. But you’ll never learn to fly if you’re too scared to get anywhere near. You have a marvelous opportunity to fly – you have the wings of technology. Get them. Use them. Do not be affraid.