Tech Talk with Mates: Joe Drasin, University of Maryland

Joe remarked that his kids use technology less than him - yes I was surprised too.

In the first episode of 2022 of Tech Talk with Mates, Joe Drasin (Senior Director, University of Maryland, USA), discusses the impact of technology on different generations, work, his kids and more. Since technology is everywhere, does it reduce in novelty?

We also talked about:

• Joe’s love for technology started which started a long time ago
• Brought in 2022 New Year in Virtual Reality by connecting to the New York Times Square ball drop (in the comfort of home)
• Remembering the days when phone calls were exciting and text based chats were immersive
• Musing the use of Person Digital Assistants (PDA).
• Early adoption of technology is like the ‘design’ phase of a project
• Being on the ‘cutting edge’ is not as important any more as life demands (e.g. family, work etc) are prioritised
• Joe has noticed his kids are transitioning to the new ‘technology’ driven world faster than he ever did - but why?
• Change is speeding ahead and Joe feels like he has to constantly ‘catch up’
• Our generation is in that transition phase with one foot in traditional ways of doing things and the other in technological realm
• The Metaverse is not new and has been explored and implemented for decades
• Excited to see where VR heads with diverse uses in the future
• Imagines a future where dinner can be shared without being in the same place
• Joe’s kids, despite having technology all around them, still crave to meet their friends in person
• The debate of meeting online or in person continues to address full immersion of all the senses (e.g. smell etc.)
• Kids don’t have the same attachment to technology and have been observed to have the same novel attachment
• Ubiquitous technology is the future where we won’t need to think about the gadgets
• Older social media sites (e.g. Facebook) are of less interest to the newer generation

And much more.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdrasin

Connect with Sandeep: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjohal