January Poll Results: Compared to 15 Years Ago, What Has Drastically Changed in Your Life Due to Technology

Back in 2007, Fergie told us that Big Girls Don’t Cry, Shrek the Third reminded us that Hollywood loves nothing more than squeezing out bad sequels, and a show that celebrated geekism called The Big Bang Theory entered our lives (Bazinga!).

What does this trip down memory lane have to do with the January poll question? It’s because last month we asked you to think back 15 years, and tell us what has drastically changed in your life due to technology.

This turned out to be one of our most popular polls ever, and we were delighted that so many of you participated — because you are all so interesting and creative! We love learning the various way technology has impacted your lives.

Here is a snapshot of some of the ways that technology has impacted your lives now vs. 15 years ago:

• Being able to shop online for just about everything, including groceries and government services vs. going to stores/offices and standing in line.
• Instantly transferring money into/between your bank accounts vs. waiting days.
• Paying bills with your watch vs. calculating paper bills and having to pay them in person.
• Making international phone calls vs. spending a lot of money on phone carriers.
• Instantly getting driving/walking/transit directions vs. carrying maps around.
• Smartphones everywhere with advanced settings and home office vs. wasting time in traffic jams.
• Ultra-fast 1Gbps broadband connectivity vs. extremely slow broadband DOCSIS 1.0.
• 144 Hz gaming displays, extremely powerful GPUs, cloud computing (e.g. azure, aws, gcp), M365, and instant payment options.
• Massive changes in the car industry thanks largely to Elon Musk (and flying cars are on the way!).
• Accessing 70+ million songs in your pocket (thanks to Spotify + smartphone).
• Doing “nothing” instead of leaving your house.
• Driving an electric vehicle as your family car.
• Working from home (or sometimes working anywhere just with your smartphone) vs. slogging into an office each day.
• Hailing an autonomous taxi vs. worrying about flagging or calling a yellow cab.
• Getting answers to questions from the palm of your hand at any moment you want.

We also wanted to highlight this great response from longtime community remember Ron:

• Doing the work you love vs. wasting the next 10 years trapped in a job you don’t like (but pays the bills). Plus, as a bonus, you will meet the nicest persons in an online community called The Devolutions Force! So keep hanging in there, you'll get it!

Regarding the first part of your comment, Ron: we totally agree with you! While technology is not a magic wand that makes things better — sometimes as we know it can make things worse — we must acknowledge that it is enabling many people to pursue their dream jobs, and in some cases switch careers entirely. For example, here is an uplifting story about a woman in Brooklyn, New York, who quit what she described as a “soul crushing” job in order to follow her passion and open a bakery (by the way, if any of you are inspired to do the same, please kindly send some goodies to Devolutions HQ — we really like cake and cookies around here!).

And regarding the second part of your comment: thank you! We try hard to make sure that Devolutions Force is a special experience. If anyone reading this wishes to join our VIP Community, please click here. You can network with your peers, get early and exclusive access to beta versions and new products, and earn points for completing fun challenges. And it’s all FREE. Bazinga!

The Winners Are…

Now, let us reveal the lucky two poll participants who were randomly selected to each win a $25 Amazon gift card. Congratulations Crimson Star and RM! Please email me at lcadieux@devolutions.net to claim your prize.

Thank you to everyone that participated, and please stay tuned: the February poll is coming soon!