Locals weigh in on technology’s impact
| The Journal Gazette
June 16, 2019
We talked with several Fort Wayne-area residents about how technology has affected their lives personally or at work, relating to retail and industry. Here’s an edited version of some of the responses:
Lauren Caggiano does a battle rope exercise at Absolute Fitness Results in Fort Wayne. The certified fitness trainer says “technology has democratized health and wellness.”
“At work, we use iPads to control the flow of seating and walkie-talkies to communicate to each other. I think the technology we use is helpful because it helps improve the communication amongst the staff.”
– Marie Solis, 18, Fort Wayne, Red Robin restaurant employee
“When I first started at the library, we used card catalogs. All this, what we know today with computer and email; … it is much faster and more comprehensive than paper sources. As an example, if someone needed a phone number from out of town it was a lot harder to find. Doesn’t matter now with the new technology.”
– Stephen Miller, 56, Fort Wayne, Allen County Public Library employee
“Technology has democratized health and wellness. If time or money or both (are) an issue and you can’t go to a gym and work with a trainer, with apps on our phone there is really little to no excuse to tracking whether it’s your nutrition, movement or both. Technology has made it easier now more than ever to be empowered so that in a way is a challenge for me. … That is my competition since some people may not want to leave the comfort of their home.”
– Lauren Caggiano, 34, Fort Wayne, owner and founder of New Heights Fitness and a certified personal trainer
“Technology has impacted me in my current job because everything that we do is through a computer, including taking people’s orders, paying with (a credit) card or ApplePay, and scheduling myself along with other staff members. A new staff member also would have to watch instructional videos to be taught how to do things within the store instead of being physically told. Things would be a lot more difficult if we did not have technology.”
– Cameron Fordham, 18, Fort Wayne, McDonald’s restaurant employee
“Honestly it’s had a really negative effect on retail. The emergence of online shopping and in result online returns in store are the reason that many stores like Charlotte Russe are forced to close.”
– Noelle Larimer, 18, Fort Wayne, American Eagle sales associate
