rational geekery

An article by Matthew Broersma on tech site ZDNet called The essence of a Geek, caught my eye today, with the tagline: -

A general rise in technical literacy driven by gadgets such as the iPod could be evidence that ‘geekery’ as a personality trait is becoming more pervasive.

What I expected of the article was an informed commentary on the penetration of technology into the collective consumer consciousness. The article however digresses into a historical investigation into the term ‘geek’, which while diverting, never really gets to grips with the topic promised in the opening paragraph.

When Apple co-founder, and CEO, Steve Jobs informs the world that in the last quarter of 2005 they sold 14,000,000 iPod’s, you have to sit up and take notice. Jobs has also had reason to beam with news Apple’s stock is now worth more than PC behemoth Dell. There is no doubt that Apple’s iPod (and its subsequent online music store iTunes) has driven their incredible growth – the product has become synonymous with solid-state digital music.

With iPods, cell phones, laptops, and digital cameras becoming common accessories, there is no doubt that the general technological competence of the population will rise. This is no longer a case of infrequently setting the timer on the VCR, but regular interaction with high-tech consumer electronics.

The Dot.Com boom, and its consequent humiliating bust, had knocked investor confidence. However the astonishing recent growth of Google, Apple, and eBay has given prospectors reason to return to the industry. While the initial tech-boom arrived on a crest of promise and hope, this one rides high on oceans of cash.

Consumers are now comfortable with ever-evolving products, and the scope for real return on capital exists. The sophistication of the market is also evident with the arrival of serious mainstream coverage of technology news. Newspapers run informed and comprehensive technology sections, and magazines increasingly cover issues ranging from new products to interviews with IT gurus and pioneers. Tech is no longer the preserve of the ‘geek’, it has returned to the mainstream, a confident, and proven performer.

So what does an increasingly tech-savvy consumer mean to our culture? Does it indicate a general improvement in IT literacy within the nation? Well certainly the increased number of personal computers will result in a direct increase in the number of people at ease and skilled with them, however it is harder to gauge the impact of cell phones and MP3 players.

Beyond the popularity of text messaging (SMS) it’s hard to see how the basic functions of the cell phone add to ones IT skills, however with the emergence of the built-in camera consumers have been introduced to the delights and wonders of connectivity. The synergy of electronic devices has arrived to the masses. The industry is taking this connectivity one further stage as mobile phone companies push their third generation (3G) technologies. 3G offers on-demand video and other content. It’s unclear how much of an appetite consumers will have for what may be seen as just another revenue stream for mobile phone companies.

Connectivity advanced a step further with the Smart Phone, a hybrid which marries a cell phone with stripped down PC operations. The Smart Phone allows the user to access the Internet, make conference calls, manage documents, and receive emails with attachments. The natural end game for the Smart Phone is the chimerical aspiration of the Mobile Office. The problem persists however that IT often still fails to deliver the quantum leap that its marketing promises. Delivery is paramount to ensure the continued consumer appetite for innovation in the now established market place.

With the ongoing overhaul of the Internet, the hardware and software providers will be able to deliver much, much more. Data will be transferable at astonishing speed; meaning real-time streaming of high-definition on-demand video will be a reality. Applications will increasing ‘exist’ online meaning computer hardware will be less important, removing a significant barriers to consumer adoption and device mobility. Other domestic devices such as the television and Hi-Fi will become increasingly connected to the net.

We will also in essence enter a new period in the human experience; an era where silicon technology not only liberates us, but also increasingly shackles us.

The state and the corporation will use these fibre-optic manacles to steer and control us. They will watch and observe, always hinting and nudging us in a direction of their choosing. Technology, and the consumer’s newfound desire for it, could be construed as the next great social control, an Orwellian reality delivered under the guise of setting us free.

It is this resistance to authoritarian scrutiny, which threatens the future success of our increasingly high-tech consumer culture. Shoppers will become increasingly suspicious of online shopping if they know their buying trends are being monitored. People complain that the cell phone has meant they are never truly away from their office; the din of a ring tone can now always interrupt a solitary walk through the woods.

We are becoming ‘geeks’. But ‘geek’ no longer means someone on the fringes of society, indulging in a fascination for science and technology. The New Geek is actually the new proletarian, shackled to his machine.

There is also little evidence that our population, increasingly at ease with technology, are transferring these new skills into increased productivity. Britain’s stagnant productivity remains an embarrassment.

It’s true the lexicon of both young and old is being shaped by our new relationship with consumer technology. It is changing the way we access the media, and in the form of blogging it is giving a new medium for comment and dissent.

We are indeed entering the Silicon Age