Seeking acceptance of a new technology depends on your audience. A tiny of group of people care about the technical requirements, however most people care about how it impacts their lives. We can have different opinions about what people should know about.

We see this in digital literacy discussions all the time. If we talk about the technical aspects of an emerging technology, 99% of people’s eyes glaze over immediately. They would rather respond to their emails than engage in the discussion. However, if we talk about how an emerging technology can help solve a particular problem they are wrestling with, they engage. But even still, they do not want to know the technical details, they just want to know how it can help them.

The challenge arises when over time we realise the technical details and their negative aspects. Facebook and other tech giants are good examples of this. Most of us didn’t care about the technical details or the business models of these organisations, we were excited to connect with friends. After years of giving away our personal data and privacy, we now realise perhaps we should have paid attention to the details.

This cycle is not new and will continue. We’ve gutted regulation and separate sales from impact and focus on the bottom line – whether we are for profit or not.

Perhaps it’s time for another way.

Photo by Waldemar Brandt