I see a lot of people who have bought the wrong technology. They were taken in by the glitter.
They bought a laptop because that's what they thought they needed. They bought a fancy cell phone because that's what the salesman said everyone was using.
Most of these people, I notice, barely use a tenth of what the device can do. Partly because they don't know how to use it.
But partly because they aren't able to figure out what - really - they want the technology to do for them.
We don't buy a car because it's red and flashy. We buy it because we need to get from A to B and feel we're probably too old to hitchhike.
(We buy that particular car because it's red and flashy, but that's not the same thing.)
But when it comes to technology we tend to buy first, and then try to figure out what we're going to do with it later.
This is the wrong way around, and why, I believe, a lot of us are frustrated with our technology.
I've never met anyone - except Macheads, those strange beings who feel compelled to yell "Should have got a Mac" in response to any technical hitch - who doesn't express frustration with the technology around them.
This is a shame, because for me there are very few solutions to a problem that don't involve technology.
Of course, that's not to say that the solution to a problem isn't the simplest one.
But that we shouldn't settle for awkward or old-fashioned solutions just because we're scared of trying something new.
I spend a lot of time using technology in the real world. I teach people how to use it. I guide people in figuring out better solutions to their problems.
And I can tell from the expressions on people's faces that many either love messing around with new stuff or they really, really hate it.
I've also learned that both kinds of people spell trouble.
The latter because it's going to be very hard to shift them out of old habits.
The former because they tend to dabble with technology, but not always keep in mind that the technology is there to be molded into a solution, not just messed around with like a new toy.
So what I try to do is my three-step program to technological dexterity:
Look at the problem, or the old-fashioned way of doing things.
Try to figure out what might be done better, or differently.
Look at the technologies available and see if any one of them, or combination of them, fits.
Apply it.
Let's take an example.
Journalists nowadays are expected to send news items back to their desk before they get back to the office. Whether they're working for newspapers, TV, websites or radio, they need to "file from the field".
Sometimes this is done just by talking into a phone. But most of the time it's done by SMS.
Which means some hapless hack scrunched over his cell phone tapping out messages. Which are then sent to some hapless editor who then retypes the message into a computer.
This could be a lot easier.
Most cell phones, for example, come with cables and software that lets you view, edit and copy text from SMS messages directly from a computer. That makes the editor's job easier.
For the reporter, the newer BlackBerry phones have better keyboards that are sufficient for most.
But for those - like me - who don't like small keyboards, whether they're QWERTY or not, there are external full-size keyboards that attach via Bluetooth and turn a phone into a full-fledged computer.
Just coupling these two tools together, the process of getting a story from the field to the news website has been made vastly easier.
It's not perfect, of course, and there are several companies which will offer some news product that would do this. But it will cost thousands of dollars.
Mine costs less than US$100 and isn't particularly new. Phones have been sold with cables and CD-ROMs for about 10 years, and external keyboards have been around the same length of time.
And this is the thing: We tend to think of technology as by definition new. And cool.
But often the best technology is neither sexy nor particularly easy to find. It's hard to find a phone cable these days and even harder to find one of those external keyboards.
But I've not found a better solution to the journalist's problem of working in the field. Which brings me back to the main point I was trying to make.
Most of our interactions with technology are when we're buying a new gadget. We're wowed (or intimidated) by all the super fast specs, the speed, the capacity, the power.
But in reality, we should be trying to figure out what problem we're trying to solve by buying it. That is, after all, why we're buying the thing.
Whether it's a way to organize your photos, or write that novel, or stay in touch with the kids.
Only then should we start looking around for a solution.
Talk to people, research online, write to me. You might find the solution is cheaper than just buying more glitter.
(c) Copyright 2009
Loose Wire Pte Ltd.
This article could not be reproduced without the author's permission. Jeremy Wagstaff is a commentator on technology and appears regularly on the BBC World Service. He can be found online at jeremywagstaff.com or via email at jeremy@loose-wire.com. Or on twitter at loosewire
