Tech Is Not Bad

Tech is neither good nor bad, it's what we do with it that mat----, hmmm, "Guns are neither good nor bad it's ...", Ok, my starting position has been undermined by my own brain within seconds of starting.

My father, Derek, has Alzheimer's and has been in a care home all of 2020. Whilst this is of course a long way away for me here in Aotearoa New Zealand and the same for my brother in Sweden it has also been an barrier for my Mum who's not been allowed to visit him since COVID hit Wales.

She calls him on the phone a few times a week, has some classic conversations ranging from being at Base Camp One ready for the push to the summit, through memories of the past but happening to him now, and sometimes to actual cogent conversations.

It's not the same though for my Mum, to hug her husband and feel his heartbeat against hers is her ongoing dream.

Tech is good for us. A few months ago we asked the care home if we could have a Skype call with him. Of course they instantly replied, and we now have a weekly video catch-up with my Dad. Some days these are quick, sometimes they are silent, sometimes they are full of laughter and connections.

I have been called, with a pejorative tone, a "tech positive, always seeing the best" which I wear with pride. I am however also a realist and believe the tech industry needs to face its many issues, live up to its social contract, and definitely take responsibility for the damage it's tools can do to individuals and society as a whole. I can be both positive and a realist.

Today I celebrate the love and life the tools bring to me. Tomorrow I will berate those that use the same tools to divide and disempower.