Is technology as seasonal as Christmas cake or an all year round delight (well, now that I’ve spiked my drink with similes, I have to drink it all up) like pizza?

Back in the days when summer was longer (maybe because seen from a child’s bespectacled eyes), no one watched television for three whole months – instead, we used to bruise ourselves on the beaches, in the fields and in the streets and we never surrendered until mum came out to scream black and blue murder if we didn’t get in, right now. And by that time, the television programming schedule would have dissolved into a sludge of repeats.

Computers have become the most empowering tool we’ve ever created. They’re tools of communication, they’re tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user- Bill Gates

That, of course, has changed. According to statistics by the Broadcasting Authority, television viewing during summer only falls by less than 10 per cent from the start of the broadcasting season.

It’s the same with technology, which in summer was just something we did for a living and at the office. And then after work, we would rush home and put our feet up. And we didn’t even check our mailbox during the weekend. Not nowadays. Come summer, we are still connected.

The only thing is that we use technology differently – our profile updates are lighter, our calls are more mobile while the landline is left marooned at home, the tablet gets a little more mileage than usual, and e-mails remain unread for five more minutes than usual. And then when we send a reply, it reads as slightly rushed and has more typos than usual.

It’s just like driving, no? In winter, we (or at least, some of us) roll up the windows, check the mirrors and put both hands on the steering wheel to focus on the traffic jam ahead. Then in summer, the roads are a bit more clear and so we let the sunshine in and dangle one carefree arm out of the window.

And that’s because we can shape technology in any way we want and according to our seasonal whims. So as the cold weather creeps in like chilblains (I promise, this is the last simile), we will find comfort on a sofa, in front of a roaring fire, or in a cosy corner, and only connect.

techeditor@timesofmalta.com