I hate to be trendy, but I am suffering from tech burnout.

According to a new report from JWTIntelligence, a top trend for 2014 is "rage against the machine."  (McClellan, 2013)  I don't know about you, but I am really feeling it.  For some strange reason it seems like all of my electronics are dying at once.  Some were quite old -- like my 32-bit 2007 HP computer.  But, it doesn't change the fact that I have spent hours installing new machines and downloading software. 

Of course it's not the same version of software that I had before so there has been some tedious relearning involved and the discovery that some of the changes Microsoft made in PowerPoint have hampered my ability to create my yearly calendar.  I can't imagine why they would reduce functionality if not to get me to buy yet more software.  Maybe they should change the name of the company to Scrooge.    

Then there's the fact that my new computers have decided to form a network without even asking me.  I have no idea what's going on or why.  And, I am afraid to mess with it for fear that I will end up erasing files.

Which brings me to my biggest peeve of all.  I was lucky enough to be one of the 38 million people whose Adobe account information was hacked.  They sent me a curt email, barely apologizing and casually suggesting that I change all my passwords.  Really?  It took me hours!  And, I haven't even bought anything from them in years.  When I went on their site to delete my account, there was no way to do it!!!  The only option was to join a line for a live operator.  An hour later I gave up.  So I have settled for corrupting all my information on their site so the next time it gets stolen it won't matter. 

But I have also begun to close all as many of my online accounts as I can and am rethinking all of my online purchasing.  So all those vendors that I have abandoned can thank Adobe for losing my business just in time for the holidays.  In fact, I sincerely hope that they do.

McClellan, S. (2013, December 5)  Consumers Are Becoming Fed Up With Technology And Change.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved December 6, 2013, from,  http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/214914/consumers-are-becoming-fed-up-with-technology-and.html?edition=67632