How do I keep the hope and promise I cling to when it comes to new information technology and their broken promises to us? I’m not into gloom and doom, but I am interested in truth and I want to get past the Technological Trauma that has engulfed my life for weeks now.
It’s messing with my head, and I depend on my head to make a living and be creative. I don’t want to give up any more headspace to tech.
Tomorrow I get my computer back, and it could be the end of these persistent and recurring troubles, the worst I’ve experienced yet. But I know there really is no end, but I know there, just the end of one problem and the beginning of another.
We live in a world of error messages, faulty machines, warnings and failures, devices that sell by the billions but that no one can really control.
I used to write about the emerging Internet for Wired And Rolling Stone Magazines. Like my colleagues, I was full of hope and idealism, we all thought the Internet would set information free and democratize the flow of information to the world.
I was a glutton for naivete and false promise.
In a way, we were right, information has never been free, in a way we were wrong in the way people filled with hubris are always wrong about the future because you really cannot predict or foresee it.
I never imagined that information could be too free, a Tsunami that is suffocating, dividing, enraging and drowning us.
I never once imagined how out of control technology would become, how big and destructive social media would be, how often it disrupts and disturbs our politics and connections to one another, and undermines the human ties that bind us all together.
I spent a shocking time now dealing with expensive technology that almost no one seems able to contain or control or manage responsibly, from malfunctioning computer and tech systems to false news, trolling, Web maintenance, and an almost complete absence of accountability, support or compassion.
Customer Service is the great lie and illusion of our time, whenever some corporation tells me they care about me, I know to run for the hills. There is no company I know of small enough to help the people they sell things to.
And there is no police agency bit or savvy enough to protect us.
At least twice a day, I get a phone call from some thieves somewhere trying to trick or frighten me into calling them and turning over my credit cards and personal information. I know not to take these calls, but some come perilously close to tricking me if I’m distracted or groggy.
I know so many people – older people – who haven’t been online for decades like I have – they are frightened, bewildered, and sometimes robbed by increasingly savvy thieves and trolls, often from dozens of different countries. There is no way to reach these people, unmask them or punish them.
I can take care of myself, I know how to do it, but how awful that I to have to do it, get phone calls every day of my life from robbers trying to fool, frighten or trick me. Do I really need to be that vigilant in my own home? Is it anyone’s job to protect us?
Giant tech companies that began as idealistic and creative social movements have become horrific and completely out of control monsters, disrupters of community, peace of mind, and especially, responsibility.
They hide behind phone trees, are drunk on all that money, they concede under pressure that they have lost control of their companies. And it is obvious.
Google can’t keep pedophiles and child pornographers off of their site, Facebook can’t control lies and false information, Twitter can’t stop the epidemic of mob hostility, bullying, threats, and cruelty on their sites.
I’ve spent the last two months trying to save my cache of photos, transfer them to a hard drive, and nobody even noticed my computer was falling apart under the strain.
I spent some time of every day dealing with messages, roadblocks, blocked sites and programs, warnings and error messages.
Day after day, someone different told me what I needed to do, promised to help me. But they didn’t know what I needed to do, and they couldn’t help me. They just couldn’t admit it.
Most of the time, there is nobody to call, and if there is someone to call, it is almost impossible to reach them or get help. Is it my imagination, or is no one responsible for anything any longer?
On top of that, I am bombarded with “news” – images and stories about violence anger, deep division, corruption, and catastrophe.
It is no longer escapable unless I follow Thomas Merton’s steps and head for a hermitage. And how would I publish my blog and photos there?
But I bet there are smartphones there as well.
Information does want to be free, but so do I. I’m trying to heal from Technology trauma. Tonight, Maria couldn’t get on her blog, she got a “forbidden” message and nobody could tell her where it came from or what it meant.
I’ve got to do something about how to live in a healthy and creative way with technology and protect myself and my peace of mind. What I don’t want is to grump, bitch and moan about it for the rest of life.
In a foolish way, I feel a bit responsible for the Tsunami tech has become. I fought for it, defended it, made excuses for it. And I haven’t given up on it, it helps to make my life and my idea of good possible.
I just have to learn how to live with it. Stay tuned.
On a brighter note – what a fabulous photo of you and Zinnia. And that, dear Jon – is what really matters.
I know it sounds fatalistic, but what I’ve done to deal with all of these issues is a simple thing. I gave up. Not in the sense that I’ll never buy another piece of technology or do business with a company, but in the sense that I don’t believe anything I’m told anymore. Your business is important to us, we’ll be with you shortly, we stand behind our products, please hold for assistance. All of these catchphrases you hear are lies, plain and simple, and the sooner you accept that, the less agitated you’ll feel. You will never be able to speak to someone with the authority to actually address your problem, so stop trying. If a service person says they’ll be at my house between nine and noon, I clear my whole day because God only knows when they’ll actually show up. Service is dead. It’s that simple. Companies have no respect for or loyalty to their customers anymore. As a result, I have no respect for them, either. All they care about is money. People are irrelevant.
RE: Technological Trauma: A World Out Of Control?
Hello, Jon. I completely agree with you.
After a full career in engineering and IT, I now wrestle with my Windows 10 home system, completely unable to cope with serious issues without paid IT support. When I need them, it’s minimum 30 minutes to reach a tech, and about 2 hours for the simplest of issues.
The IT field is still advancing, but it’s also getting more complex – well beyond my capabilities.
I resent Microsoft’s imposition of OS support termination schedules. I needed to abandon a working Windows 7 laptop and get a new one because Microsoft won’t support Windows 7 or provide security patches after January 2020. This is planned obsolescence.
One thing I feel good about was deciding to exit the social media superhighway. We have no Facebook and no Twitter, only LinkedIn and email. No smartphone; only flip phone with voice – text disabled.
Our robocalls are far out of control and getting worse. We are handling frequent scam attempts, but work interruptions are crazy. Last month, my wife fell and broke her ankle rushing to answer a non-urgent call. We just need to slow down for our own benefit.
We enjoy your and Maria’s blog posts, and follow you daily. Amazing the output you guys achieve. Wondering who takes care of the farm when you’re traveling. Is Fate in charge?
I’m always tuned to you, Jon. This piece hit a nerve. Is customer service an oxymoron? I think so. I await more from you…
WOW!!! What a great photo!
An aging population, Jon, not everyone has a computer, not everyone is able to receive E-bills, not everyone as you say, is sharp enough to avoid those who would call, as does my credit card company ‘representative’ announcing in a very dire voice at 6:30 a.m. telling me that there has been a large amount charged to my credit card and that I am to call this number immediately to give them information to correct it. I try to explain to Bell Telephone, to Ontario Hydro One, I do not want to get my monthly invoices over the internet, Emails do not always come through. if you don’t get the E-bill, miss a payment, the company adds interest to your missed payment. I don’t know where the world is heading but it’s not going in a good direction for the humans who live in it, on this earth. Technology, digitally, is a mixed blessing. But I can’t see a whole lot of positives when I see people with their hands extended, the heads bent, looking at this device in their hand, thumbs tapping away, as they sit on the equipment in the gym, or walking on the street, not looking where they are going. You’re right, the electronic world is a scary place.
Sandy Proudfoot
What an eloquent summary of the darker side of media, tech, and tools. Every point you made resonated, and we have experienced all you described. I am 70 but reasonably tech/scam savvy; an updated version of Dante’s hell would surely have a special circle for cyber criminals who rob from unwary and unknowing victims–young and old alike. And yes, it is dumbfounding that most tech support is mediocre and often relies on the uninstall, reinstall or reboot template which rarely is the issue. Thank you for the good use you have made of technology; your singular range of experiences and musings as you share them with your readers is a gift. Your blog is an ongoing story of living authentically and trying to do well by people and animals alike.
I am pretty sure most if not all of us have been there and experienced significant problems with technology as you are now. It is almost like Google, Twitter, and Facebook have created a Frankenstein monster that is now out of control So out of control that it has had a huge impact on not only our society but our whole culture too. Hang in there, and in some way and in some time perhaps some of this will pass.
The unintended consequences of technology are myriad: in San Francisco, Uber and Lyft have contributed to congestion in spite of the city’s efforts to cut down on auto traffic; Air BnB has removed a significant supply of rental housing from the open market; delivery apps have killed quite a few small restaurants who can’t maintain staff and enough table-service to survive. Technologies are wonderful tools but the culture of technology has bitten us in the backside.
I am an 84 y.o. tecchie sitting in front of my MacBook Pro, worrying that I’ll soon be overrun by Googla and/or Apple.
Just kidding. I relished your blog this a.m. as you spoke of the serious but so hilarious episodes with Zinnia!I I could hear her howls of outrage at crate confinement, and the photo spoke a thousand words!
I love reading about her early training. I know you are a trainer,, not an enabler,, but how do you resist hauling her into bed with you and Maria?
Keep the stories coming – they are grand, and serve as my morning catnip!
If you’re interested in reading, what I think, is a brilliant book depicting what an assault to our senses our society has become, I recommend the book ducks, newburyport . It’s over 1000 pages long, and is one sentence. Not for everyone, but…….