Letters: Digital Proficiency

Dear friend,

I write to you with all seriousness: acquire digital knowledge.

I understand that not many people want to be in mainstream tech, or tech tech, and that’s fine. You don’t need to understand a thing about coding, but having basic tech knowledge is a lifesaver in this era.

“…time and chance happens to them all.” This is the time of tech. Listen, there was a time when having muscles and the ability to fight was the deal; there was also a time when the dominators were people who were intelligent enough to invent stuff. There was a time when philosophy flourished; there was a time when going to secondary school in Nigeria was all you needed, and you were above the average.

The world is changing; very fast. Don’t sit in gold and be in lack. “A man who sits at the throne of honor but knoweth not is like a beast that perisheth.”

If you are observant enough, you will see the disruptive changes that AI has caused in the world since COVID. This is no joke.

I see some folks try to reject AI; you can’t win this war, because this is the time. Seven months ago, it took me hours to finish a task which today, I can complete in less than an hour.

When I say having digital knowledge, it is not about the complex stuff. Being able to manipulate simple things with your phone is a lifesaver.

Some don’t know how to edit images. Some of you use iPhones, but don’t know basic tasks on your phone. Some are very uninterested in these things, and they suffer for it without knowing. Some don’t even know how to fact-check.

These things are basic skills you should know. Learn how to manipulate computers. When was the last time you visited your phone’s settings to try to understand some of its basic features? If you take a look at my phone, it might look like a complex device, but in reality, it’s like everyone’s phone, just that I have configured it to give me what I want with minimal stress.

Learn this now ohhh! There are free apps on the Google Play Store and the App Store that offer crazy features with minimal learning curves. Learn!

Let me give you an example. Sometime ago, when I was still into downloading movies online, I downloaded a movie, but it wasn’t playing. So my data was wasted just that way? What did I do? I checked the file path and modified it. How? I downloaded the movie as an MKV file, which is also a video format. I simply used my Files app and modified the file extension from MKV to MP4, and the invalid file error was corrected; my movie started playing. I didn’t have to waste my data and time downloading another movie I wasn’t sure would play. Basic tech skill. I knew the invalid file error was due to the video's encoding format, so I simply changed it to something else.

Another example. Sometime in 2021, October 3rd to be precise, I went to get my NIN, a woman who had gotten hers already didn’t know how to link it to her mobile number, guess what happened? Someone charged her 500 naira to help her link her NIN to her number. This was someone with a smartphone that could have googled it, and it’s done.

Basic tech skills! Googling is one of them. Learn it! It is important.

Please, learn them. I beg you. Learn how to use AI. Spend at least 10 minutes every day with ChatGPT, Gemini AI, Claude AI, etc., and try to understand how they work. They have saved me time many times. Find a way to incorporate them in whatever you do.

You don’t need to code, just basic manipulative skills. Also, manipulate ethically.

Biko. Please.

Rooting for you, and I hope you too are rooting for me!

Best Regards,

Joseph Chisom Ofonagoro.

Till I write next, Goodbye!