Proof That Your Dad Thinks You’re a Little Techy.
Earlier today, I received an e-mail (via the bb) from my dad:
“Go to New Times News Service by William L Hamilton an article on Technology Dad”
One line, straight to the point and no fancy signatures- when i opened the e-mail on my computer, there was so much whitespace on the screen that I almost didn’t know where to focus my eyes.
Intrigued to the point of googling William L Hamilton in order to find this mysterious article (as the title was a mystery)… I stumbled upon “The Unmaking of a Technophobe.”
Considering that I’m pretty far from technophobia, I thought of my dad and many from the baby boomer generation who may struggle with this (what i think is both sad and terrible) problem, I read on.
What I find refreshing is this man’s personal transformation from a laggard to an early adopter [diffusion of innovation terms-think S curves and The Tipping Point]. Sure, after googling him I know he’s not a young guy, but it’s pretty cool that he’s come a long way.
He writes that “in the diffusion of innovations theory, based on a study of purchase patterns of hybrid seed corn by farmers, early adopters were young, educated leaders in the community, and respected as sources of information. Laggards, the end of the innovation line, were old, uneducated, had small farms and were suspicious of salesmen. ” hahaha suspicious of salesmen. Sounds like my parents.
According to the article, he purchased his first TV set last December, but bought an iPhone the following September. Not bad for an old guy.
The article also states that historically, early adopters were considered “heros,” and “model citizens, [who] kept the economy going.”