My husband wanted to help out with the housework and I was surprised.

“I’ll help with the vacuuming,” he said.

Here I was thinking that he could help me lug that heavy Dyson vacuum cleaner around the house until he showed me a Robo Vac on sale in some advertising material he removed from the letterbox.

“Oh,” I said. “We don’t need a vacuum cleaner. What I would like is a dishwasher as I’m tired of washing dishes by hand.”

He shrugged his shoulders and let it go.

Some time later he asked again.

The thing is that although these devices do help around the house, I do like it when our devices aren’t so dependent on the internet to function. Everything seems app driven nowadays and there’s a part of me that likes to still have a blend of old and new technologies in the house.

That way, there’s always a back up. Besides it keeps me on my toes with regards to not being reliant only on wifi or 5g working.

(We saw what happened this week when a major Telco in Australia, Optus, went down for some hours, resulting in millions of people around Australia without Internet plus disruptions across all transport systems. Our world is simply too networked now. One part of the system breaks down which causes system failure across the entire network).

However I started to think about my husband’s question. It wasn’t a matter of “needing it” or even “wanting this Robo Vac”. It was the question of having to concede to the technology.

I’ve reached the tipping point where I have to change. To use the technology or the platforms that in the past, I decided against so to provide custom to those businesses who needed it.

Those are now closing down, have long since closed down, don’t exist anymore. Besides, the generations after me don’t use them so why should I still hang on?

For example, I refused to buy anything off Amazon to assist with the Australian business and local shops where I preferred to buy from. This year I bought my first item (a golf skort) off the platform because my husband had been accidentally (yeah, right) subscribed into a 30 day trial period of Amazon Prime (we since cancelled it).

Secondly, I don’t use Ubers. My reason is to help the taxi drivers and to use public transport whenever I can. In some way, I keep thinking that if I can use services where people aren’t being used under some gig hours or zero hour contracts getting paid less than minimum wage, I’m helping them out.

When my brother asked me if I wanted him to organise an Uber for my parents, it struck “odd” in my ear. I don’t know why this was the case. I think it’s because I automatically assumed that my family members also followed my example. They did not. It was a wake up call and I felt…..well, old fashioned. A fuddy duddy for still holding firm.

Then there’s Google Assistant. I won it in a competition but it’s been sitting in a box in the cupboard because I didn’t want any listening devices in the house. However, that may have to change now that RoboVac is here. I think constantly fiddling and checking Privacy Settings is now a critical aspect of everyday living as devices integrate more and more into our lives.

Uber Eats? Nope. I don’t do that either. I prefer to go and pick up the food myself or just go to the restaurant to eat there. Or cook my own meals.

Siri? Only on if I need him. (I’ve changed the voice to be male because well, we just don’t hear many male voices as help assistants).

Social media? Deleted. Although I’m now finding this getting exceptionally difficult because EVERYONE is on Facebook or Instagram. I’ve been the last to know of any big family events because they all promote and advertise this way. If it wasn’t for my husband finding out information on social media, I would have missed family events.

However I’ve noticed that now I’m an oddity. If you’re not using the platforms or talk about them as helpful, people will not alter their way for you. It is an expectation that you will “get onboard with the app/technology/platform” or simply, not participate.

So this year, edging towards the end of 2023, a year of turmoil in the world, a year where I spent most of it golfing, knitting, reading, reflecting, my realisation is that my arm has been twisted. I have to change and get onboard with these big platforms.

Society has moved on and I cannot resist anymore.