“…in the context of the dizzying plethora of technology and applications available today, just to communicate, email is a bit like underwear. You need to have it, you use it all year round, you don’t want to be without it…. But it doesn’t take you many places…”
I was interested to read the press release from the national broadband company nbn about the rise and rise of what they call the GranTechie (see the story here). According to their survey, grandparents are the fastest growing group of people embracing fast broadband and smart devices, principally to stay connected with family members and friends.
Of course nbn has a strong vested interest in spruiking rising demand for high speed broadband… but I don’t question the findings. They don’t seem terribly surprising – the key words here are ‘fastest growing’. The numbers of people in older age groups are coming from a much lower base than some younger age groups where internet use is pretty much universal.
While the figures from nbn’s sample sound promising, they also suggest that there are still many older Australians not using computers and smart devices for anything other than email. And while email is a great thing, in the context of the dizzying plethora of technology and applications available today, just to communicate, email is a bit like underwear.
You need to have it, you use it all year round, you don’t want to be without it…. But it doesn’t take you many places and you are limited with what you can do with it. If you want to do anything more than exchange written words, you need a more extensive wardrobe, so to speak.
There are social media platforms of course – like the ubiquitous Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – but these days knowing how to pay your bills and do your banking online, find a hotel or restaurant, check-in to your flight, order your groceries and register your car can literally transform the way you live; mostly for the better.
Techie-training
I had dinner a couple of weeks ago with a neighbour who retired last year from a long career in IT, mainly with IBM. He now volunteers three days each week at a local community centre, running computer and technology classes for older people.
I asked him what some of the most common reasons were for people coming along to the classes and the most common requests. Concern about internet security was one thing he said, but how to use tablets and smart phones was a big one.
One client came with the express request to learn how to use the online auction service ebay, to sell some furniture. But typically, he said, someone will have been given an iPad or a smart phone, for Christmas or a birthday, by children or grandchildren (or a hand-me-down when they upgrade) with the intention that it be used to connect with the family more readily via Facebook or Skype. Or perhaps to set up on-line grocery shopping or internet banking.
Frequently, he said, the device has been sitting in its box on top of the side-board or under the bed for a while. One woman, he told me, hadn’t taken a brand new iPad out of the box for over a year and then hadn’t tried to use it for another several months. Sometimes, while someone was given the device, there was no consideration given to establishing an internet account. If the person didn’t feel confident about how to get an internet account, which one to choose, or how to keep it secure, having the device became pointless.
In today’s world, it is hard for many people to imagine life without the internet, yet in my conversations with retirement village residents and people from their state associations, I understand that there are many residents who don’t use the internet, or if they do, they largely limit their use to sending and receiving email.
“For those who are not IT savvy, there are social, economic and service consequences, negative consequences. I am referring to older people excluded from these new and valuable activities. The relative disadvantage of older consumers in this new market is so significant as to constitute age discrimination.” Age Discrimination Commissioner, Susan Ryan.
Age discrimination?
From my perspective, I can’t help but feel that people who don’t have access to the internet are missing out on fully engaging with the modern world. The Australian Human Rights Commission tends to agree [see background paper on Human Rights in Cyber Space].
Age Discrimination Commissioner, Susan Ryan, has said the disadvantages for older people of not having internet access and not having the skills to use it can be seen as a form of age discrimination.
“The Internet is indeed proving to be a useful tool that empowers the consumer and breaks down price discrimination – but it is only powerful for consumers who know how to use it,” she said in her Ruby Hutchison Memorial Lecture, back in March 2012
“For those who are not IT savvy, there are social, economic and service consequences, negative consequences. I am referring to older people excluded from these new and valuable activities. The relative disadvantage of older consumers in this new market is so significant as to constitute age discrimination.”
She went on to explain: “’Computer ‘literacy’, by which I mean a working knowledge of and facility with IT, is essential these days; essential to a fair go, to exercising equal consumer rights.
“Without it, a previously literate generation of Australians is left behind. They are put at serious disadvantage as consumers of goods and services, not to mention being denied access to entertainment, information and social relationships.
“Most of the older generation, those of us over 60,” she said, “missed out on formal education about digital technology. We shouldn’t forget that the first person-to-person SMS was sent in 1992 – a mere 20 years ago – and the general population didn’t really start texting until about 10 years ago. Technology moves rapidly, and the only way to keep pace is to keep buying and trying the new gadgets. But it is not easy to keep up if you don’t grasp the basics.”
In years to come, this is likely to be less of a problem of course. Older baby boomers are among the cohort of people over 60 who have generally taken to the internet with enthusiasm, most of them having been at work during the arrival of the digital age. And most younger baby boomers are still at work. As there are few industries and sectors that have remained untouched by the internet, this cohort is likely to age with all the bells and whistles the digital world has to offer.
In the meantime, however, there seems to be many older people who could benefit enormously from being introduced to the internet and some of the magical devices and applications it affords – even if it is only to keep in touch with geographically distant friends and family. Maybe you can help!
A good place to start:
The Broadband for Seniors program (BFS) can help any Australians over the age of 50 to get the skills they need to use computers and access the Internet free of charge. BFS kiosks are located all around Australia and you can click on this link http://bfseniors.com.au/for-seniors/find-a-kiosk/ to find one near you.
Note: Some BFS kiosks are not open to the public because they are located in premises such as retirement villages, residential aged care facilities or members-only clubs. Access to these kiosks may be restricted from the general public for the security and privacy of residents and/or members. These kiosks are shown on the map but a contact number is not provided.
The Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association, the national peak body for seniors and technology, is dedicated to assisting clubs to educate seniors in using computer technology to enrich their lives and make them more self-reliant. They represent computer clubs in all states and territories and you can search within states to find the club nearest you. Many ASCCs are also Broadband for Seniors locations.
