“Computers should be an ideal tool for older people, but they’re afraid, and it’s a hard barrier to overcome. Computers can open the world to disabled people. Are you lonely? Play a game, get angry with your computer for winning!” -Sarah
Sarah (alias), age 87, is not afraid of computers. In fact, she could give many of us a run for our money when it comes to online chats, music downloading and understanding fear of technology. But this doesn’t mean she sees everything the same way that younger generations do.
Sonia (alias), age 90, types up documents in Word for dozens of people in her senior citizen community. She learned to touch type on a typewriter sometime in the 1930s, so why should computers be any different?
Young people tend to look at the older generation as second class citizens when it comes to technology. This is apparent from jokes we see online every day, and it stems, among other things, from the real need to help our parents and grandparents cope with the huge technological advances of the last ten years or so. But what is it like for them? Are they really making use of everything technology has to offer, or are they merely standing at the sidelines of this revolution? Are they also striving to own the latest iPhone? Or maybe they don’t even know what smartphones are?
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