[wpietri]

Yes, he explained it, and yes I disagree. I do agree that when I switched it was harder because some of the ways I was used to gauging other people weren't available. But now I've learned other approaches, and people, or at least my colleagues, have learned other ways to communicate their state. So I still believe he is not yet used to it.

[ghiculescu]

If after 2 years he is not used to it, I think that’s certainly a long enough time to question it.

[wpietri]

I guess? Dude's my age, and it's becoming clear to me that a lot of my contemporaries are losing their ability to adapt even faster than I am. I think it's fine for him to question it for him, or maybe for his demographic, but I think it's a mistake to universalize that.

Maybe I'm just lucky here. I found the BBS scene when I was ~12, so remote communication has been an important part of my social life since before my voice changed. So maybe I have less adaptation to do.

But either way, I don't think my fellow olds should be judging technology as if our experience is universal. If I want to know the true limits of remote collaboration, I'm going to look at the 12-25 demographic segment, as they have a lot less to unlearn than people my age.

[KerrAvon]

This is the most spot-on response here. Those of us who are remote-native, if you will, are not put off by this transition.

[themadturk]

So true, especially in organizations where all the people calling the shots are both older and non-technical. I’m in my mid-60s and didn’t get into computers until the mid-80s, but I’ve long been comfortable with remote and ansync communications; I’m not remote-native, but definitely remote-assimilated. Too many in my age group simply don’t get it.