Why te exciting world of advertising and new media isn't quite what it seems

Once upon a time a guy wanted to order a pizza for himself and his mate. I know he thought, I'll use this new worldwide web thing I've heard so much about. So he went onto google and found a local pizza store - in fact he found he had a choice of pizza outlets in his area. Fantastic, he thought. He checked the menus and the prices and chose his outlet. Then he picked the pizza he wanted from a long list. Oh, the choice! Onto the next screen - did he want extra toppings? Well, I don't know, he thought, what have you got? Another screen. He picked olives and jalepeno peppers. Brilliant he thought. Onto the next screen. His views on crusts? He hadn't really thought much about crusts, but now was the moment to consider his options. He picked a thin crust. How would he like to pay? What are my choices, he thought? He picked a card. He entered his card details, got distracted when his bank diverted him to a new online security service. Signed up for it. Got back to his pizza. Entered his address. And hacked his way through all of that day's special offers. Then a mere 20 minutes after logging on he ordered his pizza.

There is of course an easier way. Phone the pizza outlet and order a pizza.

And the moral of the story? Technology is wonderful only when it helps us do stuff we want to do. When it hinders us, gets in the way, or tries to convince us to do things we don't want to do, it's a right pain.

Sometimes it's better to phone for the pizza.