The Digital Divide on the Mason/Dixon
I got a lot of cronies down here on the digitally divided South End who do not own a computer much less know how to use one. Granted, some of us misanthropes think we can reach the grave before it matters that we’re hopelessly out of touch with the 21st century. Who needs e-mail when we can call up a friend on his rotary telephone, eh? Now that we got private phones and not the party line we once had, why not enjoy it a few more years?
The mizzus got a computer back when Compaq was still a fresh face, not an old grave. She loves all things technical and so she was pretty much in the forefront of home computer technology. If not for her, no way would I own a computer. I still push lawnmowers, not ride em. I still chop wood, not turn a thermostat. I still got a 3 speed transmission, not an automatic. I waited a long time before hitchhiking on the digital highway, figuring for years I’d just wait til Apple came out with a machine that would talk me through all the introductory stuff.
But my pals without marital tutors, they’re still waiting. Three year olds are more savvy than half of us down here in the 20th Century. Course, that was sort of true back in the 20th Century too so maybe nothing much has changed. But the speed of the advances over the past couple decades is a little frightening, especially for anyone thinking they might wait a little longer then catch up once they buy a machine and figure how to turn it on. Or fix it when it glitches. Or set up programs, e-mail accounts, twitter feeds, all that stuff they’ve heard about but never wanted to learn.
I know I wouldn’t want to be starting out now that far behind. Maybe okay if you have a 3 year old to show you the ropes, but if not, fat chance, good luck. I assume most of these poor geezers will have to wait to buy their first Mac or PC when Netflix announces it will stop sending DVD movies and goes exclusively to streaming. When that day comes, trust me, I’ll be buying stocks in Apple and Dell. The last holdouts will have no choice.
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