The Only Constant is Change

I arrived at the studio this morning to find two brand new monitors stacked on top of each other. They are both connected to the same computer and they are about 3 times as big as the old one that I was used to. They come complete with brand new programs, new looks, new...everything! It should make me more effective at my job. It should be great, but a part of me dreads letting go of the comfortable. This seems to be a regular thing with technology.

When we say the word 'technology', the latest, shiny, sometimes baffling and confusing technology usually comes to mind. Keep in mind, though, that technology refers to any tool, process, or innovation that is used to perform a function. So, a monkey putting a stick in an ant hole to catch ants is using technology.

The growth of technology is going straight up on the progress axis. It could hardly be moving any faster.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project has put together some numbers.

In our survey in August of 2,253 adults, 85% were considered internet users by this definition. The “yes” responses broke down this way:

• 83% of adults said “yes” to the first question – that they “use the internet, at least occasionally.”
• 76% said “yes” to the email question – that they “send or receive email, at least occasionally.”
• 58% said “yes” to the mobile question – that they “access the internet on a cell phone, tablet, or other mobile handheld device, at least occasionally.

According to another Pew Internet and American Life Project, as of June 2012, more than half of seniors 65 and older used the internet or email. 34% of those in that age category use social networking sites like Facebook.

For the companies that produce the changing technologies, staying relevant means staying ahead of the curve. To us, that means dealing with constant change. The days of getting comfortable with a process are largely over. Even Facebook users have realized that they cannot become used to a certain look, interface or photo display, as that world leading site seeks to set itself apart from the pack by making constant changes.

Philosophers as early as the ancient Greek Heraclitus have been saying that 'the only constant is change'. Seems he was right.