I’ve been telling people lately that I don’t understand technology, but now I am thinking that it is technology that doesn’t understand me. I had a conversation the other day that confirmed a long held theory of mine. I remember back in 2008 and 2009 using Quickbooks for book keeping and it was easy to use. Very intuitive and easy to understand. I tried to use Quickbooks Online and it confused the ever-loving-crap out of me. I recently took one look at our current accounting software and immediately ran away.
The same thing has happened with Google Ads. When I started using it in 2016 or 17 it was easy to use and easy to understand, and now it is like trying to put a puzzle together when the pieces are buried in broken glass while wearing mittens. I don’t understand it at all, and Google keeps trying to push a Google expert on me, and I just tell them, no I will keep struggling on my own. I did it in 2016 or 17 and figured it out then. I can figure it out now.
This is one of the reason we get Lexus cars instead of something else. The technology isn’t out of control. Ford has recalls for things like their rearview mirrors and offers fully self-driving car. I do not feel like being a beta-test when trying to get from point A to point B. Sure, our new TX has what I am starting to think of as backseat self-driving as it will brake for you and steer you around curves without being asked to, but the Toyota philosophy is to only put fully tested technology in a car. Those cars aren’t going to fly off the handle and start running over kids at a bus stop or some such nonsense like the cars produced by tech companies.
I am starting to think the problem isn’t me. Use of technology isn’t an age related skill. When I was in high school I could hook two VCRs together to create video packages for school projects. Technology is supposed to make those types of tasks easier, but as time has progressed the interfaces have gotten more esoteric and harder to use. The Google Ads editor is the perfect example. It used to be a single tiled screen that was easy to read and navigate. In it’s current form it is a three titled screen with extremely small font everywhere and if you move your mouse too far in the wrong direction the curser gets stuck in the wrong tile.
Yesterday I discovered Google Local Ads and I felt this was something much more in-line with our business and I tried to sign up. I failed miserably as when it got to the point of verifying our business profile it couldn’t find it. I was signed in under the correct email. I even double checked by going directly to our business profile, and guess what, it still couldn’t find it. It’s not me. It’s the technology. It is a vast conspiracy by the silicon valley elite to personally make me feel stupid.
You know why people never forget how to ride a bicycle? Because it’s always the same thing. The prime directive of technology isn’t to get easier, simpler to use, and more cost effective. It is to move fast and break things, and for the most part they’ve broken themselves. They offer products not as good as the older ones that are a personal assault against my intelligence and we keep buying and using them because we feel there isn’t a choice.
David Huzzard Writes 