November 29th, 2009
Why should students care about the latest, breaking tech?
Students seem to suffer from an apathy with technology; a feeling of discontent or at least a level of not-caring.
Technology for most of my generation seems to be bought through want, aesthetic pleasures and desire rather than that of need. My generation seem to leave devices for dust to gather after a relatively short amount of time after purchase because the excitement just wears off.
Even after all this time with two fatal breakages of my BlackBerry, I return to the same device because of the multi-functionality it provides. I, like many, think about what I need and act accordingly, but most don’t.
So, should students care about the latest and breaking technology, or should it just wash over them in due time when it actually affects (us) them?
Obviously I’m biased to some extent being that reporting the latest technology is my job. However, most of us in my generation don’t really care unless it directly impacts us or has a substantial effect on our lives.
Most of the time we seem to be exposed to localised news; information about upgrades and new additions to our existing IT services. When the new virtual learning environment took over the right-royal mess we had before, it was a sigh of relief to many but the vast majority of people couldn’t care less.
Most of the technology we use just blends into every day life and we take it for granted. VLE’s, email, biometrics for those who are used to using it; even the desktop mouse, we barely notice anymore.
The technology we do notice is the missing piece from our lives, filled by a colleague or a friend with a new device which we long to own. If something is cool, we’ll geek out and buy it. But most of the marketing is down to the consumers by showing their friends, family, colleagues and even random people seeing it in everyday life. The “want” takes precedence and the “need” diminishes.
For me and my perspective, computing and technology seem to be a niche market for most. Unless it directly involves you, the chances are you’ll stay away. It’s a shame, really, as it is us, the next generation which will be making the latest and breaking developments in the future.
So why should students care about the latest, breaking technology?
Zack Whittaker, the youngest in the ZDNet network, is a British student at the University of Kent, Canterbury, where he studies BA (Hons) Criminology and Social Policy. His insight into the next-generation is unique and first-hand, sharing his knowledge of the here and now but more so what's next and how to get there.
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| 11/30/09
