“Can you please send that link to my email?” I ask, innocently. I prefer to open the link and order whatever it is my teen needs on my desktop rather than my phone.
I’m usually met with a blank stare.
“Why?” They might ask. Sometimes I’m just told, “I’ll text it.”
“I know,” I explain. “But I need to open it on my computer, and I need it in my email to make easier to do that.”
“Just use your phone.” Is sometimes the answer.
“Who does that?” Could be one response.
Me. The Elder Millenial/Geriatric Millenial/Xelennial does that. I use my computer for everything.
My kids have gotten used to sending me links in my email. Or if they text it, I just forward it to myself.
While I do some shopping from my phone, and there are conveniences to having my credit cards stored in Apple Pay for quick checkouts, especially those can’t-sleep midnight purchases, I usually prefer to do my shopping, ordering, work, writing and basically everything from my desktop computer. I will also use my laptop, but mostly when travelling.
This is apparently one of the (many) things that shows my age.
My kids do almost everything on their phones. And why wouldn’t they? They’ve gotten used to it. Banking apps are online, communication is online. They really don’t even need to bring their wallets if they have their payment options on their phone. They’re using Google Classroom and submitting homework on their phones.
While I appreciate that my smartphone is very smart and does a lot of activities for me, I still want the desktop.
Is it the font size? Maybe. Maybe it’s about being able to examine everything in closer detail before making a decision, reading the fine print, leaving the tab open until I’m ready. Whatever the draw, I prefer it.
Do I need to log in to my account to update my address? Desktop.
Am I building a cart to shop? Desktop.
Sending an important email? Definitely desktop.
I know I’m not alone (please feel free to tell me I’m not alone!).
However, it brings up some important conversations with older kids who are using their phones for everything.
How do you protect your information? Not only for privacy reasons (to avoid identity theft) but your banking information?
Do you think using your phone makes it easier to impulsively spend money and order stuff? What are the pros and cons?
How bad it would be if you lost your phone? If somebody else got a hold of it?
If you use plugins and extensions like Privacy Badger to protect yourself when using desktop browsers (you should!) have you looked into similar tools for your phone, like the DuckDuckGo app?
Using our phones to shop, communicate and do work isn’t going away. And it seems like younger people are embracing it even more than those of us who are older. But it doesn’t mean we should ignore some of the best practices for online security and cyber safety that we always think about when it comes to laptops and desktops.
And I won’t stop wanting links sent to my email.