You are not a Luddite!
You'd be surprised at how many new clients begin their meeting with us by declaring, "I am a total Luddite." Most of them don't mean they despise technology and plan to go out at night destroying machines. What they're trying to convey is that they aren't very good with technology. And I want to tell them that they are wrong.
So what exactly is a Luddite?
In the 19th century, when machinery started to take over jobs in the textile industry, there was a radical faction of workers that called themselves the Luddites who would destroy machinery and equipment in secret. Their claim was that manufacturers were using machinery to get around standard labour practices. Sound familiar?
Once the bigger factories got going, smaller shops were unable to compete. And the resulting unemployed were hard pressed to find jobs because the machine-run factories required fewer workers. It all culminated in a region-wide rebellion that lasted 5 years and was eventually suppressed with legal and military force. In some areas factory owners actually shot at the protesters.
Over time, the term Luddite came to refer to people opposed to industrialization and automation. This was all before the advent of the computer chip of course. Today the dictionary defines luddite as a person opposed to new technology or ways of working.
If you think of yourself as a Luddite, you are wrong. The truth is, technology today is so vast, so advanced, and so multi-faced that all of us could think of ourselves as 'not very good' with it. No matter where you are in the 'machine' there's technologies all around that can make you cross-eyed.
But you actually know a whole lot of technology and have probably been learning it since you were born. The first computer chip was invented in 1958. Since then technology has advanced at an alarming rate but all along, the people of your generation were learning how to incorporate it as a tool in your daily life. Take a look at these tools that use the computer chip and see how many you're comfortable with:
Automobiles - the first computer chip was installed in a car in the late 1960s.
Microwaves, ovens, air fryers, coffee makers, all sorts of kitchen appliances
TV Remotes, Smart TVs
Cell phones, tablets, laptops
Cameras of all kinds
Remote control toys, keys, devices
Keypads of all kinds
ATMS and other keypad kiosks
And of course, there's all manner of computers - laptops, desktops, iPads, iPods, iPhones, tablets, and let's not forget game consoles!
You get the picture! These days, it seems like almost everyhing that comes in a box comes with a how-to booklet for programming.
The fact is, you know a whole lot about technology, and you have a brain that has grown up accustomed to technology in every aspect of your daily life.
Maybe you still read paper books. Maybe you get up in the morning and watch the telly or read a newspaper instead of checking in on Facebook. Maybe you still go out and do your buying at the shops. Maybe you get your photos made into prints at London Drugs Photo Lab instead of uploading them to Google. Maybe you actually phone your friends instead of texting or messaging them. But unless you're living in a cabin spending your evenings by the light of an oil lamp, it's very unlikely you are a Luddite.
OK phew. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about your new website!
