It’s easy to jump on the technology bandwagon.
Doing things for the sake of using technology for the sake of using technology is foolish, and while sometimes dangerous, it’s almost always a waste.
But this isn’t a post about being a naysayer.
I don’t have much patience for those who are against technology for the sake of being against technology. Finding where to draw the line isn’t always easy, but we should always try our best to find it.
Are we making our technology choices because it has charmed us? Or because it is the best solution?
To better illustrate this, here is an awesome chart tweeted by Colin Harman on deciding between QR codes or a plain URL:
Brilliant.
Seeing QR codes spelled out this way makes me wonder why we ever used them in the first place—other than tracking packages in the mail or other uses far more suitable than simply providing an easy to read URL.
Technology is cool. Technology is fun. Technology is awesome.
But it isn’t always the right answer—assuming we’re asking the right questions in the first place.
The danger of using technology for the sake of using technology, is that it blinds us to easier, cheaper, and more efficient ways of doing things.
What do you think?
[via Colin Harman | QR code image via mallox via Compfight cc]
Ryan Sim says
I run a mobile app for commuters, and have stopped using QR codes for all these reasons, plus one more you didn’t list – do they have a data connection? On the subway, they don’t, and a QR code is useless.
Eric Dye says
Exactly!