Bridging The Great Digital Divide.
- sugandindesilva
- May 16, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 6, 2021
You may have heard the phrase “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”.
Yet, as I sit watching my 11 year old Maltese sprawled next to my leg, I’m wondering about the complete accuracy of such pronouncement.
Meet FURBALL! Her favourite hobbies are sleeping, eating & having shouting matches with the neighbour’s cocker spaniel. And oh yeah, did I mention eating?!
Take my precious “Furball” for instance (Yes, that’s her name. And no, I had nothing to do with the thought process that went into generating such an absurdly ‘creative’ name!).
I know for a fact it’s not lack of ability that’s stopping her from learning how to fetch my shoe for me. It’s the complete sheer lack of MOTIVATION!
This too is a concern with the older generations and the ever evolving digital technology and media. If older people don’t see an immediate urgency to learn it, they would sweep it aside as unnecessary waste of their mental prowess.
Their lack of motivation is further exacerbated by digital platforms integrating more and more complexities in their design. ‘User friendly’ sadly somehow omits users that are your everyday boomer.
Lack of understanding has also led to fear and low confidence in using digital technologies among the older generations.
“I’m just frightened in case I go in somewhere and then I can’t get out. You know how they talk about the Trojan viruses and all that spyware and all the rest of it? That’s what I’m frightened of, especially when you don’t know”
An anonymous participant (aged 65-76) from a focus group study in 2017.
Embarrassment in not knowing how it all works and the ensuing apprehension may lead to older people completely avoiding and detaching themselves from all forms of digital media.
Privacy, privacy, privacy!
The private and public life can be blurred for younger generations. Social networking platforms such as Instagram & TikTok invites users to make an everyday event an extraordinary one through sharing. An invitation that younger folks take up most enthusiastically. I mean why just have dinner with a friend, when you could edit the whole extravaganza with a filter, a song and a dance, served on top with an exceptionally witty comment or two?
The older generation is not so easily persuaded to throw caution to the wind, even for the sake of impressing their online ‘friends’. Often, a strong case for spam, unauthorised access to personal information, and information misuse is made by our wiser and more experienced citizens. But the aversion to social media in the name of privacy may also be attributed to difficulties in adjusting the actual settings.
You might be sitting there with your hands on your hips (Yes, I’m imagining that we live in a world of caricatures), and thinking “Well can’t they ask someone for help? It’s not that difficult right?!” And I might be inclined to agree with you. But then we’ll both be wrong.
In one focus group, older participants cited fear due to inexperience with technology and simply not understanding the technical jargon thrown at them.
The consequences? Well this…
“I went to some store and they made you feel like you’re stupid. They will not answer your questions and you don’t really know what to ask but you try to ask something, and they say….”
An anonymous female participant (aged above 65) from a 2019 focus group study.
Catering to the Ageing Population.
Here’s some predictions from the UN to help put things into perspective:
In 2030, older persons are expected to exceed children under 10.
In 2050, older persons aged 60 or over will exceed adolescents and youth aged 10-24.
Yes, this rings alarm bells for all sorts of reasons. But what does it mean in the sphere of digital technology? Well, simple!
In technological advancements, all departments including Design, need to start thinking of older adults as part of their target audience. Looking at these global population projections, to not do so is not only, how shall we kindly put it...Irresponsible?…but also could result in stupendous monetary loss for companies!
Customising technological devices and platforms may mean incorporating tweaks like large fonts for reading and increasing contrast in display screens to cater for low vision. These simple design tweaks among engineering tweaks could radically alter older people’s attitude towards using smart phones, reading online and browsing social media.
One Final Thought…
Research shows that social media with increased social contact and perceived social support is a great tool for abating loneliness in older adults.
You don’t have to surf the net too long to find some heart-warming stories of how older people used social media to connect with long-lost relatives and childhood friends in the far etches of their memory.
But social media is not always so kind to the older generation. I mean we all remember the shady “Boomer alert” comments to describe someone’s ineptitude, especially within the digital and technology spheres.
So next time you come across a post, comment or like by an older person that treads on the side of error, suppress that sass, that nasty remark or even that urge to share and have a chuckle with your buddies.
Instead leave a little kindness on their page, a little encouragement to fill a lonely heart with some love and possibly turn a frown upside down.
I promise you that this act of kindness will add to your social equity, but moreover your character, more than any TikTok video ever could.
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