Experiencing Change [2008]
How fast is the world changing? I heard a quite respected commentator say recently that he didn’t really think things were changing that much. Well perhaps in the realm of technology, he went on to say.
To a person for whom the fluid de-structured social environment is a daily reality, this view was quite perplexing. How can people create such beautiful cocoons for themselves I wondered. Or is it me? Have I stopped recognising stability?
Plus ca change plus c’est la meme chose? Is it really all relative? Think about your life five years ago. February 2003. Now think about what’s changed since then.
Half of you will have moved house – no maybe less than half. I imagine most of you are home owners rather than renters, so you’re a bit more fixed. But 57% of New Zealanders moved between 2001 and 2006 Censuses.
And most will have changed jobs – annual turnover is around 17% according to Statistics New Zealand. Unless it’s the same 17% going from job to job to job. . . Doubt it. Most of them will be in Australia now.
Most of you will have been overseas at least once in the last five years. Probably twice actually. The chance of new influences seeping into your psyche becomes exponentially higher if you travel. Well, unless it's from Timaru to Ashburton.
Just as well - if you’re at the cutting edge of your profession, more than half the knowledge you had in 2003 is now likely to be obsolete. And if you have young children, they’re probably now in a completely different world from the one they inhabited in 2003. No doubt they’ve dragged you with them.
Personally:
- I travel more – it seems cheaper. I’m sure I paid less for my last trip to Europe than I did in 2002. And my last trip to Auckland. But I pay three times as much for telecommunications in my business because I buy so many more data services. And I lease my laptop now because the technology changes so much.
- I skype/google/wiki a lot more now and shop more online. And I can now run webinars instead of being there. But I buy fewer newspapers, listen to less radio, watch less serious TV [is there any?], and watch most series on DVD instead of week by week.
- This isn't an anti-information thing though. Or even an anti-print thing. At the same time my consumption of international books and magazines has vastly increased. Sorry balance of payments deficit! The courier stops by more often now, bringing me stuff.
- My net worth has doubled, largely due to increases in housing values. And I inhabit a larger space – more floor area per person. Our homes are getting larger and the number of people per house is decreasing. I drive a far better car, but have even less ability to fix it than the less sophisticated model it replaced. Oh and I now have a storage facility – no, not for all the stuff the courier brings – other stuff entirely.
- All my household appliances seem to want to talk to me – usually to tell me off for leaving them open or letting them sit there unattended. Though the dishwasher just likes to let me know she’s finished. The diva of the family! The others all want to talk to each other. Bluetooth inhabits my PDA, my digital camera and my laptop. I don’t turn it on. It will only encourage them.
Do I feel any different than I did in 2003? Absolutely. And is it any wonder, considering that around 50% of my body’s cells have replaced themselves in that time? Maybe more. Though not necessarily with better versions I have to say
So yes, things change. In the time it’s taken Britney Spears to go from pop princess to pop tart, around 30% of the fabric of my life – and probably yours – has changed too. Of course I’m a woman so that includes shoes and clothes. The respected commentator’s probably still wearing the same old suit.
Cheers
Jill
Jill Caldwell is Director of Windshift Communications Ltd. Click Here to contact Jill directly This is a free monthly newsletter provided to direct subscribers and legitimate Windshift contacts only. No further use is made of subscriber information. [Copyright Windshift Communications Ltd 2006]
Distribute [unchanged] with impunity. Quote with attribution.
"if you’re at the cutting edge of your profession, more than half the knowledge you had in 2003 is now likely to be obsolete"
