Technology 101: The first Commandment of Digital Effectiveness

by Oluwatobi Soyombo

In recent times, the world at large has experienced a high rise in the deployment and use of technology in all ramifications. It is very hard to see a sector that has not been affected with this wave (either positively or negatively). No generation is as “advantaged” as ours, trust me! We live in a wired world. Business processes are being simplified daily. We have been experiencing the true potential of the two most power numbers; Zero and One (0 and 1).

Sequel to this, it becomes important to question our use of technology. I am of the opinion that access to technology tools alone, can never be enough. Today, many Nigerian youths have access to numerous technological appliances, yet, only a few are truely benefitting from these tools. This therefore necessitates a paradigm shift from Digital Access to Digital Effectiveness.

For an average Nigerian youth, the internet is just a means of interacting with friends and families. One of the most unfortunate things about technology is that it is often misused. Some months ago, a 17 year old undergraduate sort an advice from me as regards her course of study. My first question to her was if she had checked the net for what’s obtainable in her field. Her answer was negative. Was it that she didn’t have access to the net? NO! It was unfortunate to note that she spends more than 3 hours on facebook every day. There are numerous cases like that.

Friends, smartphones (such as Blackberry, Nokia E8 and others) just as the name suggests, are supposed to make your s     marter and more productive. Reverse is the case for most people. The use of apps such as reminders, to-do- list and other great apps that increases productivity has low ratings among youths. On the other hand, apps like “angry bird (a game on the android OS)” and many other games are on the high usage.

As an entrepreneur, how have you been utilizing the various technological tools at your disposal for business growth? You see, I am tired of writing paragraphs upon paragraphs in my proposals just to convince an entrepreneur that he needs to own a website in the 21st Century. Facebook, Twitter and other Social Media platforms are great tools that your enterprise can profit largely from. Has technology been enhancing the processes involved in your business?

As a student, how has the internet helped you in increasing your knowledge bank? How have you been profiting from the over 1 billion pages of information on the internet?

As a leader (political, social, or even religious), how has the internet (Social Media) helped you connect with your followers? As a political leader, do you even know that technology can help you increase transparency?

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • How can I begin to use technology in a more productive way?
  • What tools can I employ to increase my productivity?

Irrespective of your sector or personality, technology is your latest and most effective weapon of increased productivity and the only way to benefit from it is to evolve!

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