Caught by the 21st Century

Recently, I bought my first iPhone. Many of my friends consider that as my having been dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21^st century.

Not so.

I love the idea of technology. But I don’t necessarily see the point sometimes. I don’t like to have things just to accumulate them.

 The technology that exists today is not what I was expecting, growing up. In the ‘60s we were told that by the year 2000 we would have robot maids and possibly flying cars. While I never really expected to live like the Jetsons, 17 years beyond the promised date, I’m still waiting for my robot maid (and no, the Rumba doesn’t dust or make beds -- or dinner).

While Star Trek may have hinted at mobile phones and computers with Siri (or Alexa, depending on the brand), expecting that future seemed a bit too Twilight Zone for this century. Perhaps next century was my thinking.

I like computers. I truly do. In fact, it always surprises me when I know how to do things with them that my much younger colleagues don’t. I mean, they grew up with computers, whereas laptops appeared too late for me to have benefitted either time through college. Yes, the big ones were around, but my family couldn’t afford one, and the Internet wasn’t ubiquitous back then.

To me, a computer is a fantastic typewriter, one that saves a lot of paper when I’m writing a novel. I love being able to delete or move words, sentences and paragraphs without having to start from scratch. And autocorrect is great for my typical typos. The fact that I can also save the many novels that I’ve written on a single thumb drive instead of a filing cabinet is fantastic.

I love being able to look up information on the Internet instead of needing an entire set of Encyclopedia, which are outdated in a year or two. It is frustrating, though, when I type in a search word, only to be flooded irrelevant information. In that regard, it doesn’t save me time or frustration.

While research on the Internet can be frustrating, social media is an introvert’s dream.

Facebook allows me to be social with people I might otherwise never meet. It also allows social contact without physically being in a crowded room. I can read someone’s blather, call them an idiot and never type a word. They’re none the wiser and we’re all happy. (So, if I actually answer something you've posted, I haven't called you an idiot.)

The idea of email is exciting, but the actuality is it’s mostly junk mail. I had dreams of keeping up correspondence via email. I do that with a small group of friends I’ve known since elementary school, but  most people now tell me they’d rather get texts.

There are several things I wish I could do with the computer. Being married to an IT guy, you’d think I’d have an easy time of learning cool things like Photoshop. But no. I had to take a class to learn the finer points of blogging. My husband, The Blue Scream of Jeff (read his blogs) didn’t understand why I needed to take the class when he could have shown me. The point was he didn’t.

I was told I can’t do Photoshop because I don’t have the program on my computer. When I asked about getting it, I was told I didn’t need it. Blue Scream could do those things for me. What about independence? What about creativity? I think I could be good at it, even if I can’t draw. When I do need something, I have to wait around until Blue Scream has time, instead of being able to do it myself.

But he says it’s expensive, so I won't be getting Photoshop anytime soon.

I’m not anti-technology.

I am just against wasting things.

I have a computer.

I have an iPod.

And until recently, I had a perfectly good phone to talk and text on. 

I also have a perfectly good DSLR camera, although it will never be as good to me as the old 35 mm camera for which I have difficulty getting film.

I don’t need a phone that does all of those things. Once everything breaks, a single item that does it all might be okay, although I don’t know how you can listen to music, chat on the phone and take photos all at once.

But why waste things that still work perfectly well? Besides, the camera on the phone isn’t very good compared to my real camera, as it demonstrated recently at a Moody Blues concert. And the charge on the phone battery doesn’t last anywhere near as long as the one on my iPod, despite the iPod being an ancient 5 or 6 years old.

Originally, I got a mobile phone because Blue Scream was worried about my having to drive long distances for my job. Once, on the way home, a not-so-reliable previous car broke down. There was no payphone anywhere, even at the gas station I stopped in to find one. The attendant was kind enough to let me use his mobile.

With the total demise of pay phones and a job that requires my boss to be able to get in touch with me when I’m in different places, I got a phone that allows texting as well as calls. Of course, outside work, I seldom get calls or texts, other than robocalls and hoaxes.

People have frequently, over the past few years, told me I need an iPhone or droid.

Why?

It has Internet!

My old phone could’ve had that, but it was far more expensive than the phone plan I had. Besides, I have a computer for getting on the Internet. The phone that had texting had been a concession to modern advances. The one before that was a flip phone. Ever tried to text on one of those? Can you imagine trolling the Internet on one?

Still, while my newer model phone suited my needs, it was getting old and the battery was starting to go. It was showing other signs of failing, too. I had been hearing about plans that included Internet and were cheaper than the plan I had. I thought I might just have to give in simply to save money.

Looking around, I noticed that many of the stores I frequented (mostly for tea between schools) had apps now rather than punch cards to allow one a free cuppa every 7^th or 10^th purchase. But you couldn’t get apps without Internet.

So, I bought an iPhone.

I still seldom get calls or texts. My boss, colleagues and Blue Scream call or text at times. And it does have some interesting features.

It’s nice that I can get weather updates, but not being tied to my phone, I usually don’t see them until a couple of hours after a storm has already passed. I really don’t need the news flashes about the latest governmental lunacy. I still don’t use it for the Internet; I don’t send emails or look up information. When I have the time, I do those things on a computer.

Recently, I even used the GPS, although I couldn’t get mine to show the cool map on the screen in my car the way Blue Scream’s does (we have the same model car). After I came home, with a bit of playing around with my phone (he has a droid, so it works a little differently), he was able to show me how that worked.

I do know I’ve earned 2 free teas so far and a hoagie, and I’ve recently earned a free Rita’s water ice on my apps. I wasn’t able to download my boarding pass for our recent vacation on it, although I suspect having it on the phone will be as awkward as a paper one going through TSA.

Getting the iPhone has allowed me to get an iPad for a really good price. I haven’t yet figured out what to do with an iPad, but I’m sure I’ll eventually find it useful.

Just know you’ll never see me walking anywhere with my head down and eyes glued to a phone screen. And don’t expect me to give up my SLR any time soon.