John Harris’s critique of the internet revolution (Ignore the hype over big tech. Its products are mostly useless, 21 May) does not go far enough. While many apps gather “digital dust”, others foster dependent helplessness.
Last week in Berlin, a young Bavarian visitor asked me, a non-German speaking British pensioner, for help in navigating a short journey on the underground. He looked bemused when I produced a map and traced the route he needed to take, to the extent that I offered to guide him as I was travelling in a similar direction.
He explained that he had lost his mobile phone the previous day and therefore had no means of knowing how to reach his destination or to contact his family to reassure them he was safe. He said he would be all right when he got to his friend’s house as his friend had a mobile.
Martin Willis
Malvern, Worcestershire
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