It can be funny how two different conversations can overlap. I had met with Esther at a local coffee shop over lunch. We had briefly met at a couple of events that we had both been to and I was keen to learn about her business which works in statistical analysis of data. AS always I was looking for organisations that could help support our #cybernorth work with Dynamo North East.
During our conversation Esther challenged me over my assumption that the world was changing rapidly. She questioned whether the world has always changed and that the only difference is the kind of change we are facing now. My feeling however is that there is something about the pace of change that is different. I am concerned that change is happening beyond our capacity to absorb it. Of course this can’t really be true. If we could not absorb it then it would not have any traction and we would not know about it. It is a bit of a paradox.
Later that day I met up with Steve who runs a local IT, Communication & Security Systems company. He talked to me about what he called a consumption gap. This is where the technology developed offers far more functionality than the user requires. It is a common problem within the industry, a bit like bloatware, where software offers so much functionality yet only a fraction of it is used.
It struck me that the consumption gap is a great way to describe what I was trying to say to Esther. The gap between what is available to the user of technology and what they want to use is widening and at an alarming rate. There is so much choice out there, which is good yet can be overwhelming. It is impossible for one individual to keep on top of it all and this can lead to feelings of panic over the enormity of the change and being somehow left behind.
This is how the world is different from today. We are seeing a widening consumption gap.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 