Are you an early adopter or the last one in line whenver a new gadget makes its debut? An article describes five distinct tech personalities.
When you have five tech personalities to choose from, finding the one the describes you should be easy. But I couldn’t.
USA Today published an article titled “Gadget guru or digitally distracted? Which of these 5 tech personalities are you?” I see bits and pieces of me in most of the five. But there’s not a single one that fits me perfectly.
I’m not an early adopter. At least, I don’t run out and buy a new gadget the moment it comes out. I look at reviews and think about it. Then I check the bank account and see whether I think I can part with the cash required to bring said gadget home. The only time I ever stood in line for a gadget was when Verizon finally got the iPhone. I had an iPhone with AT&T, which at the time was the only carrier to offer it. Their service was so bad that I had to switch to Verizon — and a Droid. The day Verizon finally started carrying the iPhone, I stood outside the store to get one.
That was definitely the exception. That strikes out the first option.
I wouldn’t call myself scared of tech, either. I just tend to be a bit cautious before I actually commit to buying it. That, I guess, kills the second option.
Living life through devices? No, I can’t say that fits, either. I definitely know when to put the phone (or iPad or laptop) down.
While I love bargains, I’m a Mac guy. You can’t say that Apple is known for being the bargain choice…at least not when it comes to retail prices. I might argue that Apple is more reliable and lasts longer than its PC counterparts…but unfortunately you definitely have to pay for that reliability.
Maybe the fifth of the tech personalities is the charm? It starts off strong. Yes, I know when to set aside the tech. But the number of notifications I have on my phone might make most people uneasy. I work in journalism, so it tends to be important that I don’t miss things when they happen.
Five down. None to go.
Maybe I’m the unlisted 6th option
I have similarities to at least a few of the five the article lists. I have to wonder, therefore, whether there’s a sixth option the writer left out.
Allow me to propose that option: How about the High-tech Hodgepodge? I’m not glued to my phone, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be without it longterm. I don’t have to have the newest when it comes out, but I certainly am not afraid to get it when the time feels right.
You can’t call me a slave to technology even though I depend on it for my job. At the same time, it wouldn’t be correct to call me a slave to low-tech ways, either.
Maybe, just like my politics, my tech personality is somewhere in the middle.
I don’t think that’s a terrible place to be.
