Digital Divide

Samir Mehta | April 19, 2012
[hidden by request]

Erik Bates | April 19, 2012
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | April 29, 2012
Complaints about the fax machine remind me of this recent screed against the continued existence of Microsoft Word.

Sadly, I can understand the offline generation that doesn't feel like the Internet can give them anything that they don't have already. When I look around at everybody using iPhones and Droid phones all the time, especially when I'm the only in the room not staring at a tiny screen in his hand (when it's supposed to be a social occasion), I feel left behind but not particularly interested in catching up. There are apps that would interest me on specific occasions, like a camera when I see something neat or GPS when I'm lost, but constant use all the time is a turnoff: I'm online and in touch all day at home and at work, so when I'm out somewhere, I want to focus my attention on who I'm with and what I'm doing, not some game or text message. People keep telling me that as soon as I get a smartphone, I'll use it all the time like they do, but I don't know; I have a Blackberry now and use it about once a month. I can understand the mindset of voluntarily staying offline.

Erik Bates | April 30, 2012
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Scott Hardie | May 19, 2012
He should be fine. Slightly culturally stunted for missing online trends, at worst. As Samir noted, many people still don't go online. That's not to suggest that it will be easy for him, though.

One guy in Chicago disconnected for three months and made a pretty good video of his experience.