Many stereotypes fall apart on closer inspection. One is that young folks who grew up with technology must have mastered it while, in contrast, elders are believed more likely to break something when having to install, say, a graphics driver. But is that really true? I beg to differ! A recent study from Microsoft found users under 40 easily fall prey to fraudulent calls and emails, no surprise there, but how can you grow up with technology and still be an amateur at it?
When I recently helped a friend with his PC, I found he had Office 365, Netflix and the current Photoshop on his machine - and he talked about his leased car. As I looked around, I saw no DVD player and no books even though he's a total media junkie. When asked about it, he remarked owning stuff was so yesterday and that he'd rely on streaming, renting or subscriptions for his entertainment needs. This would also make moving homes a lot less stressful. Is this the end of ownership?
You might have noticed I've been out of commission for a couple of weeks. I had broken my ankle at a classical music concert and was facing a long recovery period, aside from surgery. Dull times, some of which I naturally spent online digging through social networks. After two days with Facebook, and on pain medicine, I kept asking myself why people couldn't just shut up for once.
Have you heard of Alex Jones? While US residents might be rolling their eyes, he's fairly unknown to the rest of the world. Alex Jones is a right-wing journalist, radio presenter and entrepreneur who makes a living off crude conspiracy theories. In his view, the US government was behind the 9/11 attacks, the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting was staged and various politicians are child-devouring satanists. Hard views that naturally polarize. Still, it got me thinking when he was suddenly banned from various areas on the internet.
Ever since kids started using cellphones, there has been a debate about how much cellphone time they should be allowed and what restrictions should apply. A lot of software was developed to this effect years ago - and it often failed because it wasn't integrated deeply enough into the operating system, and therefore easy to circumvent. Google Family Link is Google's attempt at giving parents the tools they need to supervise their children online - and turn them into loyal Google users in the process.
