Short-changed: Are upgrades aging our brains?

We love to hate change. The thought of change instils fear and loathing. Although, equally, most of us have long lists of ideas to improve our lives, workplaces and wardrobes. We’re faced with change and choices every day of our lives. But is all of it necessary? Is all of it good? There is an abundance of help on managing change. Cutting some of the preppy advice and jargon, the key issues are control, necessity and dealing with difference. The same core issues apply to software upgrades. My main question today is why, Microsoft, why?

Windows 10, the computer operating system, is here. So let’s start celebrating. 67 million people have installed Windows 10 . And now me (on my Surface). But I realise I’m going against mainstream opinion here, including the views of my techy partner, when I scream what have you done to my life Microsoft?! 

There’s a clear division in our household. My partner has been counting down to Windows 10 for weeks. He loves technology and new gadgets and couldn’t wait for the upgrade. I wasn’t opposed to it, but to say I was even vaguely intrigued would be to grossly exaggerate my level of interest. That might be part of the problem of course. Research into age and technology acceptance shows that our level of perceived interest in technology has an impact on how we accept (or reject) it. They highlight that the “young at heart” are more likely to adopt, use and enjoy technology. Clearly, as the research shows, I’m an old fart.  

I’m not adverse to change generally speaking. And for a big chunk of my life I thought of myself as a “change junkie”: moving city and job regularly just to keep life interesting. And while not a follower of technological change, I certainly appreciate advancements. I love the amazingly clear images of flatscreen TVs. I also enjoy the convenience of having a phone that takes high quality photos and can access the internet, email and, oh yes, make phone calls (if anyone does that anymore). I also love my Surface. For me, being able to swap between keyboard, mouse and touch screen is the optimum way to navigate everything I’m trying to do at once.

So why don’t I like software upgrades? Why am I so against the tide of public opinion? The reviews for Windows 10 are overwhelmingly positive. The top tech reviewers say: “Windows 10 delivers a refined, vastly improved vision for the future of computing”, “pleasant to use”, and the gushing “Windows 10 is wonderful”.  And of course my partner thinks it’s great. I’m surrounded by hideous enthusiasm. I feel like a boring old curmudgeon; a grumpy old man just like my dad yelling “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” when someone tries to explain the functionality of his new phone.  

Maybe it’s something to do with control, or the perceived lack of it. I didn’t think the previous version was perfect. But to be honest, I got used to it. And none of the changes that have been made with this new version have anything to do with improving what I do. I note (with slightly raised eyebrows) that the reviews describe the amazing “fresh features” as the new name for Explorer (it’s now called “Edge”…) a voice-controlled “virtual assistant” and, wait for it, “the ability to stream real-time games to your desktop from an Xbox One in another room”. Oh, wow, that will be really handy in no situation ever! Yep. I’m feeling old again.    

So I have absolutely no control over the change (although I would uninstall it if I knew how …) and a limited appreciation of why it was necessary. Everything I once did automatically on a daily, hourly and in fact pretty much constant basis, has changed. Where icons are placed has shifted and how I navigate between applications is fundamentally different. And exasperatingly, the colour of icons are different AND the icons themselves have changed. This is big news for people like me, because colours matter and I’ve been programmed to identify apps quickly, without much thought, based on colour and image. Ultimately, the upshot is that I have to relearn the basics!

One of the most frustrating issues is that what didn’t work before still doesn’t work. Bluetooth switching off, for example. But to fix the problems I now have a different dance of swipe, click, swipe to fathom. It feels like pointless busywork. And all of this endless re-learning of the basics is making me feel like my brain is being zapped of vital energy and power - my brain is growing older.

I should say that pointless change aging my brain is the perception of feeling “old and tired”, rather than suggesting that being “old” equals being technologically deficient. Everyone has stories of writing step-by-step instructions for the new mobile or video recorder for that older relative… But, while it might be broadly true that the older we get the more resistant to change we become, it’s actually more complicated than simple cause and effect. For example, some research shows that being open to new experiences declines during mid-life, but increases again once we reach our 60s. The reasoning is that with fewer responsibilities (raising children, paying mortgages) comes a greater appreciation of what’s new and different. 

This lack of control and sense of unnecessary change is impacting on my ability to deal with difference. It’s like I’ve just moved house and every simple thing I try to do, like grab a knife out of a kitchen drawer, takes me longer than it should. I find myself endlessly reaching for the wrong spot – the place where it used to be. And it’s not like I can think “well, at least I’m in a new house” because, quite frankly, I preferred the old one. The short and polite statement here is that I’m not dealing with it very well... Possibly because I feel that Microsoft have added an extra cognitive burden to my day.  

“Cognitive load” is the idea that if tasks are difficult, planned badly or not intuitive, the mental effort (working memory) required to undertake the task can become more onerous than the task itself. In short, if cognitive load is high you’ll waste valuable brain power on pointless actions – which in turn has an impact on comprehension, problem solving and levels of analysis. Research also confirms that mental fatigue can be caused by daily events of cognitive overload, possibly even progressing to worse conditions. Hrrumph.   

Messing with the basics means what had become automatic unthinking actions now require as much brain power as what I actually need to think about. The grumpy old person in me says it’s giving me headaches, I’m becoming crotchety and my brain is starting to melt. I’ll probably get used to the new version. But at this point in time, while the Windows 10 upgrade might have been free, I feel I’ve been short-changed...