50 things that show that you’re not plugged-in to the digital age
Are you fully engaged with the Digital Age? Not so, according to recently published research, if you do any of the 50 things outlined below.
The list- which is the result of detailed research into how our love affair with technology has affected the lives of 3,000 adults over the last 30 years – was released earlier this week and provides a comprehensive picture of the way that our lives are being affected by gadgets.
Activity such as owning physical media, using hardcopies of things like phone books, or even using a map to check your location are all soon doomed to be deemed archaic, as an ever-increasing number of us are relying on the internet, smartphones and satnavs to instantly access the information that we’re after.
But it’s the much-maligned post office that perhaps fairs worst from the research, with traditional services, such as paying bills or renewing your car tax at a branch, falling foul of the convenience afforded by the internet.
We’ve reproduced the list in full below – why not try to remember the last time that you did any of the following (and be honest!):
Activities for technophobes:
1 Ring the cinema to find out times
2 Visit a travel agent to research a holiday
3 Record things on VHS tape
4 Dial directory enquiries
5 Use public phones
6 Book tickets over the phone
7 Print photos
8 Put an ad in the shop window
9 Ring the speaking clock
10 Carry portable CD players
11 Write letters by hand
12 Buy disposable cameras
13 Take change for pay phones
14 Make mix tapes
15 Pay bills at the Post Office
16 Use an address book
17 Check a map for a car journey
18 Reverse charges in payphones
19 Visit a bank or building society
20 Buy TV listings
21 Own an encyclopaedia
22 Queue for car tax at a post office
23 Develop and send off for photos
24 Read the Yellow Pages
25 Look up something in a dictionary
26 Remember phone numbers or have a phone book
27 Watch videos
28 Have pen friends
29 Use a phone director
30 Use pagers
31 Fax things
32 Buy CDs or have a CD collection
33 Pay by cheque
34 Make photo albums
35 Watch programmes at the time they are shown
36 Dial 1471
37 Warm hot drinks on the stove
38 Try on lots of shoes in shops
39 Hand wash clothes
40 Advertise in trading papers
41 Send love letters
42 Hand write essays or schoolwork
43 Buy flowers from a florist
44 Work out how to spell something yourself
45 Keep a personal diary
46 Send postcards
47 Buy newspapers
48 Hang washing out in winter
49 Keep printed bills or statements
50 Go to car boot sales
