A Provocative Perspective on Technology

For it is a secret, both in nature and state, that it is safer to change many things than one. - Francis Bacon

If it was true of what was said above by Francis Bacon in the 16th Century, then it is even truer today. And it is nowhere more visible than in the world of technology.

The pace of innovation within tech is indeed marvelously quick; new categories of devices and functions, once seemingly on the horizon, are here and now faster than you can say “Rose Gold Apple Watch” (yes, the $18,000 one). For all the good that this pace of change brings, I can’t help but notice how it’s fuelled mostly by a small factor of early adopters constantly craving another option at the smorgasbord of the Wireless Café. These people (admittedly including yours truly) are the crowd-cheerers at Apple product reveals, first-day downloaders of a new OS, and sufferers of ADHD (Attention Deficit if it’s not HD). We can be affectionately known as technology snobs.

But what about those people who just quietly commenced a Google search for “what does OS mean?” (it stands for Operating System, by the way). These are the majority, and the not-so-quiet majority at that.  They are the reason that on-average only 10% of apps on a device are used, and the ones who think that the Apple Watch is just a smaller iPhone (it’s not, as I will explain later). This is reflected societally as comedic anthropologists like Jimmy Fallon make jokes each night antagonizing the Apple Watch. This majority is left scrambling to keep up and climb the icy adoption curve with nothing but a dull ice pick.

Another place this comes to life is in the adoption rates of new mobile operating systems.  The newest Android OS “Lollipop” had only 1.6% of eligible users download it at the three-month mark post-launch. And Apple iOS 8 – considered one of the most important since the launch of the iPhone –is still waiting on over 30% of its users to upgrade almost a year later (which is high considering the cult following of Apple products).

Technology moves so quickly that there is actually an institutionalized observation of its ascent: Moore’s law. Derived from the pre-dawn days of the tech boom in the 1960s – yet miraculously still holding relevance today – Moore’s law documented the phenomenon of the growth of technology. Quite simply, it states that the capability of technology (storage and processing power) doubles every two years.  This is so quick that few other phenomena can attest to such a rate of change. As an example, it’s taken automobiles 50 years to almost-double their average output. Not only that, but humans can’t even keep up: birth rates and productivity growth rates have been falling for decades (the birth rate decline is probably a good thing).

So, we have a situation: technology is moving at a rate that makes it nearly impossible for the “layman” to keep up, whether financially or, even more so, intuitively. While some might state the solution is to slow down technology, I say we need to speed-up the understanding, application and usability of it – the world is, after all, depending on it.

Let me explain.

For purposes of this discussion, let’s look at wearables, the highest profile example of which being the Apple Watch. Despite wearables having been around for years, it is not until Apple touches the category that North Americans wake-up and take note. It can be seen that the mass confusion on the role and purpose of wearables is at a feverish pitch since the Apple Watch launch. Everyone I talk to outside of the technology-snob world is asking the same question: what are they good for? They continue by saying that they already have a watch and a phone, and that they don’t need another one of either. They claim that “phones are getting too small” and that they don’t want to look like a character from StarTrek speaking into their wrist.

While those are all valid preconceived notions, what they are missing is the recognition of something larger: the adoption of wearables is about complimenting existing technology, rather than substituting it. Wearables are not about a better phone or a better watch – they are about making your current technology better by being more personal and efficient. Wearables are about saving seconds in your day, about knowing more about you than you do, and about making your life better. Having used a wearable device by Samsung for some time now (thanks to #RogersSI for providing it), I know that all of this is true.

But alas we reach the technological predicament described above: the Apple Watch – and all new technology for that matter – is viewed by the majority as just another wallet-grabber and a complicated device to make jokes about. Just like the 98.4% of Android users paying no attention to their OS, they don’t understand how it can fit into their life, and the role that they should play. Thus, the tricky climb up the adoption curve ensues.

What we need to focus on as a society is not just the enhancement of technology, but also the adoption of technology. We need to build frameworks, resources, and a climate in which the majority isn’t left behind. The constraints of slow technology adoption could impact us generationally if we continue to drive a gap between development and mass adoption. As a society, we need to constantly be innovating – and embracing - innovation to stay competitive and prosperous. There are technological solutions to the world’s largest problems (energy, transportation, sustainable water, medical care, medical research, etc.) and we all need to be on the forefront of technology to make these happen.

As Moore’s law will undoubtedly continue and apply to wearables, artificial intelligence, connected homes, medical research, science, and many other arenas, so too must our focus on adoption of it. The world will be a better place as mass adoption and widespread embrace of technology widens, not just among the younger generations, but all generations of humanity. We must move forward together on this quest to bring everyone else along because a future of technology capped at 1.6% of its potential does no one any good.

Let this be a case for all of us to lean in passionately to technology and all the good that it can bring together. Afterall, our world and communities depend on it…and all it starts with is caring enough to download the latest OS.

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Greg Murray is a Canadian marketer at Exact Media strategizing for the world’s top brands. He is also a marketing instructor, published writer and technology snob. He is apart of the #RogersSI program where he writes about the role of technology within humanity. He can be reached at @jwgregorymurray on Twitter.