Can the American public deny that we’re outright under attack from within. Blame whoever you want - Facebook, the NSA - it’s abundantly clear that the interests of the haves are not aligned with the interests of the have nots, and right now, the have nots are taking a savage beating.
I started my business, Dan Rubin Consulting, with the goal of helping less technologically inclined people become more efficient in the digital world. Many of my the people I work with are of the baby boomer generation, but many are younger than I (I’m 36).
They come to me with similar problems. “How do I transfer photos in and out of my iCloud?” “How do I make my network and computers more secure?” “Why can’t I get windows to start?” “Can you recover lost data for me?” Other times, their issues are more complex, but they all boil down to the same truth that awaits all of us, just over the horizon.
Our entire lives are moving online. Our relationships, our employment, our currency...everything.
It’s all moving onto the grid where it can be carefully tracked and all of your data can be stored forever, whether you like it or not. Your survival depends on knowing how these systems work so that you can protect yourself, or at least lead a happy life, less fettered and confused life.
Yet, most people don’t know how to buy Bitcoin. Knowing how to handle your transactions online, where they almost all take place now, in fiat or crypto, is an important skill to have when navigating the modern world.
I have a palpable concern for my clients who have fallen behind. For them, I always place an extra emphasis on coaching them along. Not just fixing the problem they called me for, but providing context and knowledge about how it started and how to avoid it so they’ll be a little more prepared and protected in the fast approaching future.
What can anyone accomplish in this digital era if they can’t get a grasp on their email, or even navigate the password reset process? Can they get a job? Can they sign up for any kind of account? You may as well not even exist, and when you don’t exist digitally, you’re a likely candidate to fall into the “digital divide,” which is not a place you want to be.
Google “transhumanism,” read about it, and then tell me it’s not important to know how to use a cellphone.
If you’re still in that stubborn, shrinking camp, how will you defend yourself if you become the target of hackers and scammers? You don’t need a cellphone to have your money stolen. Your life is online, whether you like it or not. Knowing where your life is stored, and who has access to it, are good first steps to thwarting the bad guys, not just burying your head in the sand.
Yet, we know there are still a lot of rumps sticking up at the beach, otherwise we wouldn’t be seeing this incredible proliferation of nare-do-wells like we’re seeing right now, and my business would not be doing nearly as well as it has. I hope someday there will be as much money to be made helping people in digital need as there is robbing the same crowd blind.
