Robert Caro never learned to type. He pecks out his books two fingers at a time on an electric typewriter.

There are two reasons to avoid learning a proven new technology:

You know what it can do and how it will change your life and you don’t want it.

You don’t know what it can do and you don’t want to find out.

Kevin Kelly has pointed out that many Amish communities are in the first camp. They designate a few community members as nerds who can try out a technology and report back on how it changed their families and their focus. The end result is that they often make the intentional choice to avoid something that they deem counter to their goals.

On the other hand, social media makes many of the people who use it unhappy.

It’s better to know and then to decide.

January 7, 2024