Welcome to the new digital world, with the whole world on our computer screen. Well, that is an understatement, everything is in the palm of the hand computer, which we call mobile/cellular phone. We can not only access anything and everything sitting in the comforts of our house, and even on the road. Our digital world comprises of emails, search engines, messaging, Zoom, PayPal, Zelle, Team, Downloads, Uploads and many more, plus social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even Telegram etc. But then becoming a native of the digital world has marooned us with a plethora of Passwords, PINs (Personal Identification Numbers) and OTPs (One Time Passwords), and don’t forget the Verification Codes. What happens when we accidentally start typing in the last four digits of Social Security Number instead of our phone PIN Code? The magical world of the cellular phone remains locked up. The recent outcome of a single accidental download by Matthew Van Andel, which upended his life, is a reminder of the hazards of stepping over the digital landmine.

All of these Passwords, PINs, OTPS are needed to navigate in our digital world. The problem is managing, remembering, updating and saving those. Luckily OTPs don’t have to be saved but put them accurately within the allocated time, which is a new challenge.  The mix-up between all these magical keys to unlock our wonderful digital world has given birth to the necessity of a new portal, we call it Password Manager. Additionally, even the Cyber Pundits are now recommending two-factor authentication for the Password Manager to keep it safe.

The new digital world has unleashed an altogether new lexicon. Now we are required to:

• Reload the Verification.
• Resend the OTP
• Forgot your Password
• Reset your Password
• Your Password is not strong enough
• The password must contain a combination of letters with one Capital letter minimum and numbers plus special characters
• Please don’t share PIN/OTP

These are just a few of the things that are associated with digital content management and our maneuvering in the digital world. So, safeguarding all these pieces of vital information has become a challenge, plus a nightmare. As you grow older the challenge seems to be multiplying with our memory failing and fingers shaking resulting in incorrect typing.

Try to call the service provider when something is screwed up. First, the Virtual Assistant will be at the other end. Virtual Assistant will greet you with “How can I help you?” Try to come out of its tight grip and ask for a real person to speak to. You will me hearing our menu has changed recently, please listen carefully and Press 1 for …., and 2 for *** and so on.

The real disappointment comes when the Virtual Assistant abruptly decides to hang up by saying “Goodbye”.  But if you are lucky, you will hear the recording “Please continue to hold while we are helping other customers.” So, now we need to take a deep breath and stay calm. Finally, when successful in getting connected to a real person, then that will be the start of grilling session again, when you are on threshold of your frustrations ready to burst open. It will start with questions related to personal identification for “your own security”. Then I start wondering if I have to secure myself from these folks, or am I OK to divulge my personal data.

Besides safeguarding these virtual assets, we have to worry about our bank balances being wiped out, credit cards being maxed out, personal information being shared or accounts hijacked, and cash withdrawn from our bank accounts. We have to have our shield out and constantly monitor activities to protect ourselves from the Scam Artists, hackers who keep continuously multiplying in numbers and their prowess. Hackers can afford and have luxury to fail numerous times, but our one fail is enough to ruin our lives. This is a new monster of our digital age; that we have to continuously guard against. We still have to pray and look for the Genie to save us from their hooks.

The anti-virus software does provide some shield from hackers and scammers, but they are not the ultimate word. Even these programs which offer protection are regularly updated and have to be updated on our devices. Lastly, being a resident living in the digital era, I am getting constant, subtle and not so subtle reminders that my digital capabilities constantly need updating. I am a Digital Student for Life, where my digital learning only stops when my own breathing stops. Welcome to the Digital Age. Hope you have a nice visit and no nightmares or hacks.

With Best Wishes. I hope you enjoy your Digital ride with pleasant experiences alone.

Image (c) istock.com
Illustration by the author