Tech poseurs....

It was bound to happen sooner or later.

We see people driving 4-wheel drive SUVs which have never left paved roads. People wearing diver's watches which haven't seen a drop of salt water. And now, we see people heavily investing in gadgets or gizmos such as late model cellphones, MP3 players and notebook computers just to use as objects of social status. And most of these people don't even use them, simply because they don't know how to use them. I call these people "tech poseurs."

Oh well. I guess it's inevitable. As society slowly gets more and more technologically advanced, we see firsthand the emergence of a new cultural borderline...a new caste system, if you will...between the tech haves, and the tech have-nots.

With the proliferation of technology, and its permeation into almost every aspect of our daily existence, most of us have to play catch-up just to stay in the loop, whether it be with our jobs, our private businesses, our social lives, and yes, even our private lives. And like with everything else, there are those who are not willing to accept the burden of learning something new. Any new technology always has a learning curve of sorts, whether we like it or not. There are those who are willing to spends vast amounts of money just to give the impression to others that they are "tech-savvy." Of course, appearances can often be deceiving.

Does it bother me? To be honest, I guess it does...a little. It used to be that being a techie was unique in itself. Loving technology merely for technology's sake was a trait limited to only a minority in the general populace. The early adopters, the geeks, the gadget freaks. These are the type of people who paved the way for the rest of the non-tech savvy majority. However, as technology becomes more and more widespread, and more and more affordable, anyone with the moolah can buy the "image" of being a techie. I guess its that trivialization of something that I take very seriously (well, not that seriously) which disturbs me. As well as the decline in respect for things technological.

Here are a few examples.

With cellphones so commonplace nowadays, a lot of people have lost touch with the ethics of using such devices. We see people yakking away in churches, in moviehouses, in restaurants, without any regard for other people around them. It's as if the possession of a cellphone is a license to be rude or discourteous. I also know a lot of people who buy the latest models with state-of-the-art functions such as internet access, email, multimedia messaging, etc. and yet, only a very small percentage...probably less than 5% of the people I know, actually use these features. When things go wrong with their phones, these people are quick to blame technology rather than their own ignorance. And yet, they still insist on buying high-end models. Of course, it is their money, and I obviously have no right to tell them how they should spend it, but buying expensive phones just for the sake of showing these off to other people seems pretty shallow to me.

I have also known people to buy MP3 players, specifically the popular Apple iPod, despite the fact that these people don't even have personal computers. Okay, you can always ask the help of someone who does have a computer to load music on it, but it really doesn't sensibly explain why I have come across a few weird people who buy the more expensive models with upwards of 20-30 GB of storage space, but for some reason, they keep these devices in their bags or on their person, empty, devoid of any stored files or music. Did they buy those things just to flash around? Go figure.

With Wi-Fi technology getting more and more popular, a lot of more tech-savvy individuals are buying PDAs and notebook computers to be able to browse the net wirelessly, in Wi-Fi hotspots, which are sprouting all over the place. The poseurs aren't far behind, buying the top-of-the-line Wi-Fi enabled PDAs and notebooks, but I have often come across people...even those I know personally, who just fiddle with their PDAs or use their notebooks to play solitaire or minesweeper while hanging out in a Wi-Fi enabled zone. They just want to be seen using technology, even if they really aren't.

I guess we can't blame them. We equate being tech-savvy with being wealthy (to afford the technology) and intelligence (by knowing how to use them). I can't count the number of times I have been called a "genius" just for knowing which port to plug a mouse in or for knowing the Ctrl-Alt-Del key combination to reset a computer. Nowadays, it doesn't take a millionaire or a genius to use these devices, considering that they are now relatively cheap and easy to use. But of course the mystique is still there, especially among the non-tech-savvy crowed.

Come to think of it, I should be pleased. We now live in a society where technology is commonplace, affordable, and easy to use. Besides, techies still have their uses. Not everyone is adept at using technology no matter how easy to use you try to make it. And techies are the very people they turn to for help.

I'm probably just turned off by the shallowness of those who resort to flaunting the high-tech gizmos they can afford to buy but can't use, in a pathetic attempt to gain recognition or respect among other people. But that's just the way things are, so I should probably just live with it, and carry on as I usually do.

If you're one of these people, I only have one piece of advice. Do yourself a favor and learn how to use that high tech toy you've bought. You'll thank your stars that you actually took the time to learn how to use it. And at the same time you don't have to pretend anymore. And you won't be annoying people who can see right through your pretensions. If you really can't figure it out, ask for help. There are a lot of people who are more than willing to provide assistance if you know where to look for them.

That wasn't so hard now, wasn't it? :-)