Tech Talk: Technology Without the Panic (A Weekly Series)

Mark McNease

Why technololgy can feel overwhelming, and how to approach it calmly and confidently.

If technology sometimes makes you feel like you’ve missed a class everyone else showed up for, you’re not alone. For many of us, tech didn’t gently enter our lives—it barged in and changed the rules, often in what seems like a daily basis. This continues to happen regularly to me: AI is everywhere, and now even my bank app wants me to submit to facial recognition. I’m putting that off, but eventually it will just be another requirement of using apps and websites, at least on our phones.

The truth is, most modern technology isn’t difficul, it’s poorly explained. As someone who’s pretty tech savvy, I sometimes lose patience with people who aren’t, but I know better. I’ve put off learning things myself, and I’ve sometimes declared a learning curve too steep for me to climb, at least for now.

Devices assume you already know the basics, apps change without warning, and updates arrive with cheerful messages that tell you nothing useful at all. And they seem to change the entire look and fuction of our phones. No wonder it feels overwhelming.

Here’s the good news: we don’t need to “keep up.” We only need technology that serves our lives, not the other way around. Unless you’re like me and you crave learning new things and playing with every tool in the box, you really don’t have to take master classes in any of  them. At the same time, it’s coming, it’s been coming, and it’s going to keep coming. At some point I just have to sayy “I surrender” and get on the bus.

Technology should help you stay connected, entertained, informed, and safe. It should not raise your blood pressure or make you feel foolish for asking questions. If something feels confusing, that’s not a failure on your part—it’s a design problem.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll tackle common frustrations one at a time: passwords, email overload, online scams, social media stress, streaming confusion, and yes—even artificial intelligence (which the world seemed to have plenty of before it ever became a thing). Slowly. Clearly. At a human pace.

Because learning technology isn’t about age. Using our age as an excuse to procrastinate or simply refuse to learn new technology is more about our minds that our bodies. And confidence comes from understanding just enough to feel steady on your feet–or you hands, in many cases.

Here’s the first of somet ‘try this’ activities arouund technology.

What You Can Do This Week

• Pick one device you use every day (phone, tablet, or computer).
• Explore one setting you’ve never touched before (how do I stop my phone from vibrating, was one of mine).
• If something confuses you, write it down, ask someone—don’t avoid it.
• Remind yourself: It’s the jouurney, not the destination. We’ll get there when we get there.