Although he's on a continuous learning curve, Ficklin already sees his efforts paying off. His viewership is growing. He is learning key lessons on how to handle negative reactions to his sometimes unpopular opinions. He is discovering what it takes to become business-minded as he searches for product samples to review, and sponsors to advance his journalistic reach.
TechNewsWorld recently met with Ficklin on a Skype conference call to discuss his interest in helping both his peers and tech-curious adults understand today's world of mobile gadgetry.
TechNewsWorld: How did you get started on this technology journey?


Skyler Ficklin: For as long as I can remember, I have always had technology be a part of my life. I have always had access to computers in my house. My interest grew from there. Since I was 13, I had an interest in making little websites. I made a website for my IT class last year.

TNW: How much of a role has your high school experience so far played in your interest in technology?
Ficklin: Last year I took a programming class. This year was very active. I made a big website for my Web design class. Zoom has become pretty central for me. I became aware of some problems with using Zoom so I shifted to other products for comparison since there are so many of them. I wanted to find a way to explain to people why I wasn't using Zoom. So I put that together.
TNW: What kind of comments have you gotten about your opposition to Zoom?
Ficklin: Most people were very confused about why I wouldn't use Zoom. A lot of people told me they just don't care about the issues. They just want to use it. Some people continually denied that there were issues with using Zoom. They saw the Zoom bombing issues as separate from other problems.


They were not worried about bombing intrusions since they used passwords for their video session invitations. Still, the Zoom security is not as good as it could be. I did make headway with a few people who recognized that the issues I raised did make sense. So they tried to work around the problems.