Invest in Cloudstuff: Viral Technology and Media Literacy

Today its AI, yesterday it was cryptocurrency. The internet is fit to bursting with new ideas which you must see, much get in on, or you risk being left behind. Or not, and watch others get in on it and lose a lot of money. The constant push and pull of influencing peer feedback produces a lot of white noise in this constantly changing times. It is sometimes hard to see where you can actually place any trust.

And this is the sort of introduction to an article that you might see on a technology pitch. That my feedback, my way, my little piece peer pressure will somehow change your life.

But my current pitch today isn't telling you to buy something, or telling you that this One Cool Hack will make you money. Rather, I want to look at what viral technology is doing to media literacy and how it is taking advantage of the system.

The recent technology push is towards AI. Everyone is using it, they say, and to some extend 'they' are right. AI is everywhere and you probably are using it, whether you want to or not or whether you know it or not. The main issue is the media literacy aspect of it. The constant feedback of people saying 'adapt or die' or 'come, use this thing, you'll have to eventually' are coming before actual results. The people who say these things are talking about investing in cloudstuff, not a solid idea of what technology can do for you. And that's where media literacy comes in. Being able to separate what people are saying, the crackling, cackling white noise feedback, from what actually matters is a skill. Often, it is a skill that people are struggling with. We are group creatures; we want to believe what we are told. Media literacy is the ability to stop.

Wait a moment.

Consider the information, the research.

And then move on and think on if that is right. It isn't about rushing forward with the assumption that something will be world changing (or at least consider whether it should be world changing) until you can see demonstratable proof it is.

AI, is, in fact world changing. But a majority of that change is brought about by word-of-mouth. People are changing policy, programs, and plans based around what something might be able to do. Investing in a dream, without seeing the blueprints first. And that's where media literacy comes into play again. There's not a lot of it. People aren't exactly taught how to do research or how to read what they found if they do. So often the only things that can be relied on is word-of-mouth.

Lets return to when I mentioned cryptocurrency. It is an interesting concept, for sure, but it is overshadowed by lack of regulation. And a thing without guardrails quickly becomes a risk. But if you just started looking into it, you might miss that something isn't there. You might enjoy it, even, because regulations can sometimes stifle what you want to do with a tool. But, when it comes to playing with money, you want regulation. You want the guardrails to protect you, even if it is rare that something goes wrong.

So what can you do when you are told to invest in cloudstuff?

Consider:

• Does it sound too good to be true? Are people saying it will solve all your problems (or at least a good number of them.) If it sounds too good, it probably is. Dig deeper into it and work out what you're missing.
• Does it feel easy? To use or to complete? If something is too easy, it might be easy to access your personal information too. Or to lose something. Or to simply make a mistake on your end. Find out what your rights are when you use the technology. If the technology is wrong (like it tells you to take a medicine and you have an allergic reaction) what are your rights?
• Are there laws regulating it? You might feel like there shouldn't be laws. But you'll want them when things go wrong for you.
• Is everyone else rushing forward, saying it is a great thing? Us that as an early warning sign to proceed with caution. If something is new, there might still be bugs. There may be issues while you use it that you shouldn't be too hyped to not recognize the issues. Still look into it, but hold your credit card close.

Think, look, and listen. Be prepared for things to go wrong.