What the FOC

It seems that we have become a world that no longer talks in complete sentences. These days, we would rather just speak in acronyms (a series of initials that stands for complete words). The military has had a lot to do with our use of acronyms. Expressions like AWOL, FUBAR and SNAFU were acronyms that found their way into our conversations thanks to our service people (AWOL is Absent Without Leave and you can look the other two up since they both contain a word that is not exactly user-friendly). In more recent times, even TV shows like JAG (Judge Advocate General's Corps) borrowed an acronym from the military.

With the advent of the internet, acronyms took on a new life of their own. The first internet acronym I remember was LOL. I had no idea what it meant. I asked someone what a “lol” was and that person actually did laugh out loud. LOL led to ROFL, which led to LMAO. I guess there was a lot to laugh about in the early days of the internet.

These days, it seems there is an acronym for almost everything. In fact, the shelf life of some acronyms seems to be getting shorter. If someone came up to me today and said “YOLO”, I would think that they had just woken-up from a five-year nap. From my POV, the use of acronyms has gotten completely out-of-hand. On the other hand (mine), I have come up with a new acronym for a condition which I believe many (but not all) people of a certain age have - FOC (Fear Of Change).

Allow me to explain...I can vividly recall purchasing my parents their first VCR (Videocassette Recorder) around 1980. It cost almost $1,000 which is the equivalent of around $3,600 today. I thought it would be terrific to have them tape TV shows and watch movies. After connecting it to the television, I feared that I might have made a big mistake. When I began to explain how to program the VCR for what we now call “time-shifting” programs, I realized that I may as well have been explaining baseball to someone from Mongolia. They told me that compared to their original black and white TV from the 1950’s, they were completely satisfied with having a 25-inch color television with a wireless remote control. What more could they ever need?

While I was finally able to explain how to insert a VHS (Video Home System) cartridge to watch a movie, at first, I feared that the idea of taping a TV show for later viewing was beyond the hard drive space left in my mother and father’s collective brains. Thus, the clock on their VCR continuously flashed 12:00 until the day it was replaced by another VCR which also flashed 12:00 until the day it was replaced by a DVD (Digital Video Disc) player. Later, I realized that it wasn't brain-power that was stopping my parents. It was that they were just more comfortable with the world that they knew and understood. Things were just changing too fast for them. So, while they were happy watching a movie on their VCR or DVD player, they would not go any further up the technology ladder. They just didn't see the benefit in what I thought was a very cool new feature - taping programs. Not only that, but they had a genuine fear of this new technology that had invaded their home. My parents were suffering from FOC which is too bad because they would have enjoyed taping Johnny Carson.

Fast-forward to the 2020’s and technology is moving a whole lot faster than it did in the 1980’s. The very same generation that watched their parents’ VCR’s flash 12:00 is now facing a similar case of FOC. When it comes to new ways to watch television, stream video, receive home internet, upgrade cell service or get a new phone, many people just don’t want to deal with the changes that new technology brings. What's this 5G thing? Why would I ever want to change my home internet? Roku Schmoku - Why do I need to stream television when I have a cable box or satellite dish?

Just as my parents missed out on watching TV shows due to FOC, you may be missing opportunities to enjoy new features that will enhance your television, cellular and internet experiences. You may even be able to save a hefty sum of money while you're at it. There are ways to avoid FOC. They include keeping an open mind, watching for new trends in technology and when in doubt, ask a Millennial. If one is not around, reach out to Lower Tech Bills (me) for assistance. You can visit www.lowertechbills.com or email hmwellsradio@gmail.com for more information. Don’t let FOC get the best of you. While it may be 12:00 somewhere, it shouldn't be 12:00 in your home more than twice a day.