Technology used to be the preserve of the geek. The commonly accepted perception was that only boring people liked mucking around with computers.

How times change. In what seems a matter of months, everyone is blogging and social bookmarking.

Rather than being the preserve of the socially excluded, the reverse is now true ­ if you do not understand Web 2.0, you’re a loser.

I refer to this state of affairs as the modern art phenomenon. Dismiss modern art and the chances are that some smart alec will accuse you of not “getting it”.

Such a reaction has an inherent snobbish factor that implies the doubter is not bright enough to understand something new or different.

The same situation is now prevalent in the world of Web 2.0; saying you don’t Twitter or social network is tantamount to declaring yourself a dim-witted laggard.

I am not bitter ­ I’m glad technology is having its moment in the media spotlight again. More than that, I’m pleased that my acute Wii-itis has stopped.

The Nintendo Wii is another factor that has helped promote technology’s coolness.
Rather than being confined to bedroom-bound teenagers bashing away at their joysticks, the Wii has brought gaming into the sitting room ­ with gamers as likely to challenge their auntie as their best mate.

But there is a downside to the upsurge in Wii popularity. Defined by Dr Julio Bonis, Wii-itis is apparently caused by excessive Nintendo Wii use ­ or in my case, resting my elbows on my legs when playing sports games.

I could not work out why my legs ached so much at night and then it dawned on me: I had tennis elbow ­ or more correctly, tennis legs.

Being cool is clearly painful, as also exemplified by the sting that comes from being poked on Facebook by an idiot you thought you had left behind at school.

Your only option is to come out and admit you hate technology. But if you do, expect a similar response to the time you admitted you don’t like Carl Andre’s infamous pile of bricks at the Tate Modern.

IT is no longer the geek’s dominion, so don’t let yourself be accused of being too stupid to understand how modern society consumes technology.

What do you think? Read Mark Samuels’ blog at:
http://knowledge.computing.co.uk