For the many of us who use the internet every day, it seems difficult to comprehend spending even a short period of time without all of the benefits it can provide. We are so used to being able to keep up with news as it happens, get in touch with friends instantly, locate an incredible amount of obscure information in moments using search engines and carry out numerous other things online that it seems impossible that some people in this country who have never even used a computer.
A newly released report suggests that there are about six million individuals aged over 55 in the UK who don’t have a computer and so have never really considered finding out just what is possible. So now there is a campaign to get the older generation signed up and surfing like the rest of us.
It is very true that as people get older they are more likely to become isolated, a problem compounded by mobility, vision or hearing problems. Obviously if they have the money for joint replacements, Laser eye surgery and a hearing aid, then their quality of life could change a bit, but a lot could also have outlived many of their contemporaries, which decreases their social circle. So obviously, having a computer to go online and use instant messaging or Skype to talk to family or friends who live a distance away would make a huge difference to many people.
The campaign says that the younger generation who are computer literate should assist with this campaign by educating older family members. This is a great idea and well intended, but I laugh at the idea that ‘the young’ are so much more competent with computers than other people.
At this point, I will explain that I am in my late forties, and I am a complete computer enthusiast. I use my computer for writing, photo editing, audio manipulation, video work and much more. I am constantly online and if I have to leave my laptop for too long, I have to make use of my mobile phone to catch up with what is taking place out in the world. I use Facebook, Twitter and emails to keep in contact with friends around the planet, I shop and bank through the relevant websites, I use the world wide web as my encyclopaedia, dictionary, atlas, telephone book and news bulletin. (I do start to wonder if there is a computer screen complaint equivalent to getting ‘square eyes’ from watching too much television. I definitely notice my eyesight changing and should probably consider Laser eye surgery rather than having to keep spending money on new glasses.)
In any case, the inference in this report is that younger people will know much more about computers than I will! Well, if that’s accurate, when I ask an eighteen year old which ISP she uses, I wouldn’t expect her to say that she hasn’t a clue what I’m asking her!
I do agree that everyone should embrace the infinite resources of the internet. The idea should be promoted. However, it does appear that not everyone wishes to be computer competent, and a minority even seem to revel in being ignorant. Picture a recent scene – there are ten of us in a restaurant for a drink one evening, nearly all of us aged between 48 and 52. Only four of us actually know that there are a selection of different web browsers, and of the four of us, one has only stopped using Internet Explorer since her son installed a different one. One male is convinced that life would be so much better if we could just go back to using paper and pen for everything (he is also the type of person who says that DVDs are a bit new-fangled and keeps making do with his decrepit reading glasses rather than spend money on Laser eye treatment), and another male is forced to use a computer at work and consequently won’t use one at home. A married couple declare that they can never get involved with Facebook because it frightens them too much (honestly!), and one female mostly uses eBay to spend her pocket money, but doesn’t even have a personal email address and uses her daughter’s address instead. And these are folk who are too young to be targeted by this campaign!
On the other hand, consider my neighbour, aged 79, who asked me if I’d noticed the vehicle that had been sitting over the road for a number of days, and then advised me that because she’d been worried, she had looked it up online to check if the business name was genuine and what the company did, and when she had done so, worked out that they were clearly completing some work in the empty bungalow nearby.
A relative of mine, who is also elderly, organises her life on her computer. She has serious problems with her eyes (for which there isn’t any surgery or Laser eye treatment available), so has to change the screen resolution to enlarge everything, but she very cheerfully remains in contact with countless acquaintances all over the world, writes articles for various publications and also does work for the charity (for elderly people!) which she has been involved with for years.
Of course I welcome the efforts to get a lot more people to embrace and understand the internet, but please, can we stop categorising everyone by age? I definitely will not be conforming to any age related expectations about my lifestyle any time soon!
A newly released report suggests that there are about six million individuals aged over 55 in the UK who don’t have a computer and so have never really considered finding out just what is possible. So now there is a campaign to get the older generation signed up and surfing like the rest of us.
It is very true that as people get older they are more likely to become isolated, a problem compounded by mobility, vision or hearing problems. Obviously if they have the money for joint replacements, Laser eye surgery and a hearing aid, then their quality of life could change a bit, but a lot could also have outlived many of their contemporaries, which decreases their social circle. So obviously, having a computer to go online and use instant messaging or Skype to talk to family or friends who live a distance away would make a huge difference to many people.
The campaign says that the younger generation who are computer literate should assist with this campaign by educating older family members. This is a great idea and well intended, but I laugh at the idea that ‘the young’ are so much more competent with computers than other people.
At this point, I will explain that I am in my late forties, and I am a complete computer enthusiast. I use my computer for writing, photo editing, audio manipulation, video work and much more. I am constantly online and if I have to leave my laptop for too long, I have to make use of my mobile phone to catch up with what is taking place out in the world. I use Facebook, Twitter and emails to keep in contact with friends around the planet, I shop and bank through the relevant websites, I use the world wide web as my encyclopaedia, dictionary, atlas, telephone book and news bulletin. (I do start to wonder if there is a computer screen complaint equivalent to getting ‘square eyes’ from watching too much television. I definitely notice my eyesight changing and should probably consider Laser eye surgery rather than having to keep spending money on new glasses.)
In any case, the inference in this report is that younger people will know much more about computers than I will! Well, if that’s accurate, when I ask an eighteen year old which ISP she uses, I wouldn’t expect her to say that she hasn’t a clue what I’m asking her!
I do agree that everyone should embrace the infinite resources of the internet. The idea should be promoted. However, it does appear that not everyone wishes to be computer competent, and a minority even seem to revel in being ignorant. Picture a recent scene – there are ten of us in a restaurant for a drink one evening, nearly all of us aged between 48 and 52. Only four of us actually know that there are a selection of different web browsers, and of the four of us, one has only stopped using Internet Explorer since her son installed a different one. One male is convinced that life would be so much better if we could just go back to using paper and pen for everything (he is also the type of person who says that DVDs are a bit new-fangled and keeps making do with his decrepit reading glasses rather than spend money on Laser eye treatment), and another male is forced to use a computer at work and consequently won’t use one at home. A married couple declare that they can never get involved with Facebook because it frightens them too much (honestly!), and one female mostly uses eBay to spend her pocket money, but doesn’t even have a personal email address and uses her daughter’s address instead. And these are folk who are too young to be targeted by this campaign!
On the other hand, consider my neighbour, aged 79, who asked me if I’d noticed the vehicle that had been sitting over the road for a number of days, and then advised me that because she’d been worried, she had looked it up online to check if the business name was genuine and what the company did, and when she had done so, worked out that they were clearly completing some work in the empty bungalow nearby.
A relative of mine, who is also elderly, organises her life on her computer. She has serious problems with her eyes (for which there isn’t any surgery or Laser eye treatment available), so has to change the screen resolution to enlarge everything, but she very cheerfully remains in contact with countless acquaintances all over the world, writes articles for various publications and also does work for the charity (for elderly people!) which she has been involved with for years.
Of course I welcome the efforts to get a lot more people to embrace and understand the internet, but please, can we stop categorising everyone by age? I definitely will not be conforming to any age related expectations about my lifestyle any time soon!
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