If you’re reading this, I already know a thing or two about you. First, that you are (probably) over 60 years old. You are (probably but not necessarily) a woman, and finally, that you are proficient in at least some technology.
We are online after all
And many of us spend a lot of time there. I could no longer live without email, without the Internet, without YouTube, without online banking and shopping, without booking train tickets and without certain streaming services. I couldn’t publish my books without a good knowledge of technology. I communicate with my friends mainly online because I don’t like using the phone that much. Today it feels intrusive, I almost feel like I have to ask permission to call someone.
This is not the case for many older people
I know people who don’t own a smartphone and don’t use the internet at all. I have absolutely no idea how they manage their daily lives, but that’s obviously the case because for the most part – I suspect – they chose to live that way. These are the people who, in my opinion, are being discriminated against today.
They are the ones who are struggling to buy a train ticket because many ticket offices here in the UK are closed. They are the ones who rely on actual bank buildings and post offices, because they do all their banking the old-fashioned, face-to-face way, and banks and post offices are quickly disappearing.
They go wild and go to real stores to shop. Plus, they don’t spend/waste half their time scrolling through social media.
We could say that these are the people most in tune with the world around them
Who aren’t so glued to their cell phones on public transportation that they don’t notice the elderly/infirm/pregnant person standing right next to them who could use a seat. Who use old-fashioned printed maps to navigate, so that if their GPS breaks or gets confused, they can still figure out how to get to their destination. Those who are not totally tuned into something or other when walking down the street can still hear the birdsong.
And if they get lost, they don’t hesitate to ask for directions
Even men! (Well…) I can’t figure out Google Maps for the rest of my life. I was recently standing in the middle of a six road junction at Elephant and Castle (in London) looking up how to find a theater and the helpful Google lady told me to “turn left”. Finally, I found a real person who knew exactly where it was and – well, Bob is your uncle!
Technology serves multiple purposes
Of course it is. I could not publish or publicize my books without this. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to submit my tax return or transfer money to and from bank accounts. All freelancers need to have some technical knowledge, even just knowing how to build a website or use social media.
Technology saves time
So they say. But is this the case? These days, people seem to be working longer and longer hours, and it’s unclear whether productivity has increased as a result. This could be because the time they save online is diverted, also online, to endless scrolling of cat and toddler videos (or are those videos called these days?) on social networks.
Is technology responsible for the increase in crime rates?
I can’t be the only person who is tempted to express my frustration with a “computer that says no” (a reference to a character in a television series called Little Brittany) by committing violence against something or someone – anything or anyone.
If you’re part of the generation that wasn’t taught these things, you learn them – or try to – as you go, in your own way. Hence the frustration. There was a time, a long, long time ago, when almost everyone understood the machines and equipment they used. Car owners knew how to repair the engine and change a tire. These days, you need a computer science degree to do that.
My two year old grandson knows what YouTube is
And how to find it on my phone. He knows my phone better than me. Should I be worried? Probably not. I can’t wait until he’s old enough to act as my technical advisor.
The author and his pet peeve (Sketch by Anna de Polnay).
Let’s have a conversation:
What frustrations do you encounter with technology? Is it easy for you to navigate the Internet and various applications on your phone? Do you think technology has made our lives easier or on the contrary?
