Stuck in the web

May 10 2009 by Alan Ross

PEOPLE in their fifties, as I am, are sometimes categorised as being hopelessly fuddy duddy and out of touch.

In fact, there’s a lot of evidence that we’re pretty much in tune with the times, particularly where computers and IT (information technology) are concerned.

Now I’m not going to pretend that I spend every waking moment frantically operating a Wii machine connected to my television. I do have a telly, in fact I have three, but I suspect I’d put my back out in a trice if I were to play the bowling or tennis game for more than a couple of minutes.

Anyone who doesn’t use a computer in this day and age is going to rapidly become a second-class citizen. In fact, you already are. Travel, shopping, knowledge and relationships have been changed out of all recognition by the internet. Sure, it is open to abuse, but it’s also a huge force for empowerment and the general good.

I have a whole new group of friends in America and Canada thanks to the net – in fact I’ve been visiting them this past fortnight. These are people I would never have even known existed without the world wide web. What a wonderful invention it is! I can book travel on the net, and even discover how many seats are still available on the plane before I book – whether or not there will be any planes going from the North East to London in 18 months or so is another matter.

Recently, I admitted defeat, and joined two "social networking" sites. The first day I opened my emails after joining, I was scared out of my wits. I had about six times as many emails as usual, some from people I’d not heard from in 20 years. Some employers have banned the use of these on work computers. I’m not surprised – how on earth do you fit in the time to do any work?