I’m a geek in technology.
But that makes sense, right?
a) I work in the tech industry.
b) I’ve always loved technology. Ever since I first touched and smelled that TRS-80 Model I in the library of Lower Milford Elementary school in 4th grade.
In a world where one can choose a path, you could argue that the tech industry was my destiny.
The same is true for my colleagues. When tech crosses the membrane and leaks into the world, we’re like little kids on Christmas morning. The world wide web, smartphones, self-driving cars — these are super bowls for tech geeks like us.
And boy, do we love to debate their effect on the world. Sometimes we have useful insight, but most times, we overvalue our expertise. We need other non-geeks to stand above and behind, with different perspectives, to truthfully assess technology’s effects on the world.
Many professions have a similar crossover between a person’s geeky interests and vocation.
Take meteorology. One becomes a meteorologist because one loves the weather. And how do meteorologists act when an extreme weather event is imminent? Kids in a candy store. It’s their super bowl.
Public health is similar. Public health officials geek out on public health things (thank God). And when a new virus, bacteria, or behavior threatens the general population, it’s their super bowl.
Like with myself and technology, the experts’ voices are important, but it’s critical to get the perspectives of the non-geeks when making decisions for the entire group.
