I wrote about this a few weeks ago…the rapid change in our culture since the coming of mobile computing. Much smarter thinkers than I are saying the same thing. One of my favorite blogs comes from Paris where Frederic Filloux and Jean-Louis Gassee expound on many topics about technology and culture. Check out this brilliant expose about the changing world, with more of a focus on the ubiquity of “the cloud.”
Check out this statement: Google has become one of the largest and most important Cloud Computing companies on the planet. Combine this with the Android operating system that powers more than a billion active devices, could Google bring us to the point where The Network Really Is The Computer?
You will need to read the rest to see how they spin it, but for our purposes we can note that the change to how we operate with information is not something we can avoid. Just last month, the IT director at the College mentioned that he needed me to consider moving to more of cloud computing. We’ll see if that is what ends up happening, but I did leave the conversation fairly convinced I will have to make that change, whether I like it or not. Or, at least I will have to do that if I want to be able to work efficiently on the move, something my new temporary role at the College demands.
What does that mean for you and me? I mean, I write this blog to help you Live Well. The simple answer is “Be Aware”—this massive change to how we experience culture is happening. The shift to the cloud may have no evil or good intentions…it may “just be” but don’t be blind to it. Like the move AWAY from personal ownership—a scary reality for anyone who knows the history of the fight for personal property–the shift to the cloud has implications. The growth of mobile has implications. How we parent, interact with neighbors, experience life on the job….all of this is rapidly shifting to a new normal. My gut is that the new normal will not be best….but I don’t think you can dodge it.