We know of the high percentage of older people who don’t go online. The reasons cited include access, risk and motivation amongst others. Maybe there’s something more fundamental here. As a teenager growing up in the 80′s, I was usually the one called on by my Mom to program the video recorder, or my Nan would call me round to tune her telly in or sort the aerial out. Maybe our approach to technology and to some extent, how we engage with the younger generation, is inherent in the sense that we begin to ‘switch off’ as we get older. We become less willing to experiment and become increasingly content with what we know and what we have. The phrase “Not like it was in my day” springs to mind.
So in 10 or 20 years time will people of my generation, who grew up with the advent of home computing, continue the trend? “I don’t need to play about with that new I-Mind 5 gizmo – I have my I-pad, that’ll do”. So, as technology continues to evolve at an alarming rate, providing, arguably, more benefits as a result, will older people continue to shun ‘new stuff’? If this is the case, what can we do about it? Is keeping abreast of digital developments fundamental to digital inclusion? like going to the doctors regularly for a check up? or do we accept that we as human beings, we’re simply programmed to behave this way.
