The advent of the tablet and smart phone have solidified a wedge in society that was pioneered by the colorful Macs o the early 2000s. The difference between those who consume technology and those who use it.
This divide is between those who repair, who tinker and those who purchase. When a device breaks or becomes obsolete, what is your first impulse? If it is to repair or reuse then you are engaging with technology. Finding places for it to fit, changing technology to fit your needs.
I think that this is the correct stance. We have access to all of these devices, e-waste, cheap computers and there are a million different uses for them. Homelabs proliferate, allowing people to tinker with their own services, networks, etc.
This engagement with technology saves us from eventual dependence on the technology. Understanding how technology works, even in the sense of understanding how to operate that technology, is the first step towards engaging with it rather than simply consuming it.
As e-waste proliferates in the world we need more people who are willing to engage with, to understand what can be done with technology as it ages. Whether it is repurposing or even reclamation. As technology dominates every aspect of our lives, we need to engage with it rather than simply consume it.
Consuming technology puts us in a dependent position with those who produce it. Obsolescence by design chains us to a hamster wheel of work and consumption that haunts and cheapens.
When we throw away an old PC we have lost an opportunity for exploration.
It used to be that technology was something separate from the average life. Computers existed but were not central to our lives. In that world, it was asking quite a bit for someone to engage with technology. It was the domain of nerds and hackers.
But today technology dominates every aspect of our lives. From the morning to night, much of it is spent in front of screens. At the same time our livelihoods are being thrown into chaos by AI, technofeudalism, and (in America) the end of the federal government.
This recipe seems like a natural place for tinkerers to emerge. To be curious is one of our greatest strengths. Our curiosity into how things work, why they work, and what they can do can lead us into previously unexplored corners of the world.
Our desire to make technology work for us rather than simply consuming technology is important. We should be empowered and engaged to change technology to work in the way that we want rather than to consume it in the way its producers envisioned.
From breaking out of the Apple walled garden to removing data from Meta and Google, engaging with our technology means that we can take control over our digital presence and how we engage with technology. It is a way for us to feel empowered and back in control.
Rather than shrugging our shoulders at the knowledge that the NSA is mass collecting our data, we can feel empowered to stop it. To be called to action rather than resignation.
Using technology takes the magic away from it. It makes it understandable and therefore controllable by everyday people. When the smartphone is revealed to be a playground that you can modify, break, fix then I hope that people will feel empowered to also decide how they want to engage with it.