Company Updates

5 Unexpected Ways Tech Has Changed Your Life

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The following is a guest post from Natalie Zfat. We asked Zfat to replace her work laptop with a Dell Venue 11 Pro tablet for an entire month and tell us about her experience. She shared this in the video below, along with these five ways technology has changed all of our lives.

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I’m turning 29 this month, and while my friends joke that I should savor the last drop of my twenties, I can’t help but feel excited about the new frontier. #TalkThirtyToMe

As a writer and social media entrepreneur, how will tech impact my life and business in the next year? Five years? Twenty years?

At my company The Social Co., I’ve consulted about social media, events and voice for brands like adidas Women and Levi’s, using the latest apps, wearables and more.

You see: Tech keeps me young.

The age-old question inspired me to sit down and ponder: How has tech changed our lives – potentially without us even realizing? Here are my top five game changers (for better or worse).

My mailing address is below. Send me a letter if you identify with any of these.

Just kidding.

1. Jobs

The running debate about whether technology creates or deletes jobs can be triumphed by this one sentence: “The computer needs someone to talk to." Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt knows that while tech can crunch numbers, it’s ultimately people who make decisions. 

2. Health Solutions

Whether it’s wearable tech tracking your heart rate and stress levels – or Dell’s Venue 11 Pro, which doctors are using to conduct physical exams remotely – tech is providing us with health solutions, in real-time.

3. Caller ID

Opportunity knocks – but so does your boss’ nephew, cable provider and ex-boyfriend. Let us pause to acknowledge the magnitude of time we’ve saved via simply tech upgrades like caller ID.

 

4. Distractions

"While technology can improve a company’s output, it can also be a source of distraction, costing employers hours of lost productivity and literally billions annually," says business coach Nancy Snell. In 2014, restraint is your new best friend.

5. Brand Building

Most people are surprised to learn that I got hired for my first-ever job – writing for Rolling Stone – by sending a message to Managing Editor Will Dana on LinkedIn. Creating a compelling online voice – and being your boldest self – is your ultimate résumé.

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Natalie ZfatNatalie Zfat is a writer, entrepreneur and social media influencer.

Natalie and her company The Social Co. have partnered with brands like Rolling Stone, Travel and Leisure, American Express and Dell to host events, curate blog posts and implement full-scale social media management.

This month, Google named Natalie one of 60 Fun and Interesting People to Follow on Google Plus.

And, you can follow her on Twitter at: @nataliezfat.

About the Author: Laura Pevehouse

Laura Pevehouse was profiled as one of five “social media mavens” in the March 2009 issue of Austin Woman Magazine and named an AdWeek’s TweetFreak Five to Follow. She has been part of the Dell organization for more than 15 years in various corporate communications, employee communications, public relations, community affairs, marketing, branding, social media and online communication roles. From 2014-2018, Laura was Chief Blogger/Editor-in-Chief for Direct2DellEMC and Direct2Dell, Dell’s official corporate blog that she help launch in 2007. She is now a member of the Dell Technologies Chairman Communications team. Earlier in her Dell career she focused on Global Commercial Channels and US Small and Medium Business public relations as part of the Global Communications team. Prior to that, she was responsible for global strategy in social media and community management, as well as marcom landing pages, as a member of Dell’s Global SMB Marketing, Brand and Creative team. When she was part of Dell’s Global Online group, Laura provided internal consulting that integrated online and social media opportunities with a focus on Corporate Communications and Investor Relations. She managed the home page of Dell.com, one of the top 500 global web sites in Alexa traffic rank, and first brought web feeds and podcasts to the ecommerce site. In her spare time she led Dell into the metaverse with the creation of Dell Island in the virtual world Second Life. Laura has earned the designation of Accredited Business Communicator from the International Association of Business Communicators, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Louisiana State University. Before joining Dell Financial Services in 2000, she worked at the Texas Workforce Commission and PepsiCo Food Systems Worldwide.