The Internet Generation

For most of my life I have been fortunate enough to be able to interact with computers and the internet. Although this is a good thing for me, it doesn’t blind me to the fact that there are some people who just don’t understand the concepts of a computer and the internet. The "computer generation" is not just for one generation. The elderly don't have to sit back and watch while the younger generations have fun banking, playing, shopping and socializing online. But many elderly people shy away from computers out of fear, wondering "What if I break it?" or "What if someone steals all my personal information?" The concern over the growing “digital divide” has led to a number of initiatives being employed to encourage web usage for the older generations, and to ensure they are not excluded from the digital world. Among these is educating the elderly on ways computers may benefit their lives.

Some computer manufacturers have designed computers especially for elderly users. The designs acknowledge seniors' limitations on a computer, attempting to make a comfortable user for them. For instance, the designs tend to emphasize simplicity and straightforward commands and prompts. Keyboards are less cluttered with keys, and the software lacks design complications. The computers also make the tasks common to elderly users, such as email or viewing photos, easy to access and operate. These are just a few ways companies as well as new technology make it easier for the elderly to learn.

Among the complications for the elderly in using computers are the physical, mental and cognitive impairments that come with age. These issues can include problems of vision, hearing, motor skills, attention span and memory. The elderly can struggle with recognizing patterns or resisting glare even while managing the simple process of viewing a computer screen. Their declining ability to reason and to learn new tasks also makes computer use and learning difficult. These impediments are important to note when trying to educate people on computer/internet usage.

For this paper I interviewed one of my clients who I used to work for in 2009. My client was a 82 year old realtor who needed computer assistance, as well as filing and data managing services. During the time working for her, we developed a very close relationship based on the ways I could help her remember how to do computer related tasks. We would spend long hours on the phone, as she watched me control her computer remotely. Whenever a command was done that she did not understand, she would simply ask and I would repeat the steps or re-explain the procedure. This allowed for a very hands-on approach to her computer skill development. In as little as two months she was able to accomplish tasks with little to no assistance. When I asked, “what do you need me to do in order to better this experience for you?” She replied, “let me see you do it, and do it very slowly and speak clearly please.” Once shown the steps and spoken to clearly, she was able to do her tasks the way she wanted. My client would even have her “girlfriends” over at times, asking me questions about the internet and their “always full” email accounts. It only took a week to get their email accounts clean, and teach them the importance of cleaning their inbox. I had explained to them cleaning their email, is as important as taking out your garbage every week. If you do not take your garbage out, then it will become harder to manage and will only accumulate. Giving real world examples always benefited the interaction I had with my client and her friends.

Another way to make learning easier for the elderly is to compare the digital things you are doing with real-life actions. If you make analogies frequently, you make it easier for your tech un-savvy seniors to comprehend what it is you are going to show them how to do. For example, you could tell seniors that "logging into your email account is just like walking to the mailbox to pick up a stack of mail." The Elderly do well with visual-aids, and simple analogies may make for a better example than showing them how things are done.

By making software and interfaces more user-friendly, companies are not the only ones who can ease the elderly with their learning. Relatives of the elderly as well as friends can assist with the introduction to computers. Bring your elderly or family member to the library to use the computerized card catalog. Grandmas and grandpas are familiar with the library. In fact, in their day, research for school papers was done at the library, not online like it is today. Show your grandma the card catalog, and how she can type in a word and it automatically brings up a list of matching titles. Sit down at the computer yourself with your grandpa right next to you. Surf the Internet. (You can probably do this right at the library if you want. Most libraries have Internet access for their card holders.) Show him firsthand what is available on the Internet. This might be the first time he has ever seen it! Give your grandma or grandpa their own computer, after a couple weeks of going to the library. It doesn't have to be brand new. This will get her used to seeing a computer every day and calling it her own. Teach your grandma or grandpa how to play simple games like solitaire. This will allow them to navigate through the screens to find the desired game. It will also help them learn how to operate a mouse. Games are great for people who are uncomfortable with computers. Set up an email account for your grandma. Write down the exact steps she should take to get there. Demonstrate the steps for her, and then have her do it herself in front of you. When you get home, write her an email and show her how to respond to it the next day. Those are just a few examples of how to introduce people to computers and its uses.

Computer technology has made vast amounts of information available to the fingertips of all people, great and small, young and old. Though this information has been made available, teaching the elderly how to access that available data can prove difficult. The "abstraction," or bigger idea, of the World Wide Web is something many elderly cannot understand because they haven't had exposure to even the most basic computer and network terminology. Elderly respond well to visual aids, hands-on experience and real-life parallels. While seniors are skilled at many things, many of them struggle with the use of computers. Because the majority of seniors have little or no experience with computers, completing computer-aided tasks often proves challenging for these individuals. By teaching seniors to use computers effectively, you can open their eyes to a host of opportunities that computers afford their users. While it can be challenging to overcome the initial distrust and distaste for computers, with patience and persistence even the most inexperienced senior can learn to use a computer effectively.

There are more problems associated with web accessibility than normally come to mind, and this is why it is so important we realize and understand the growing problems elderly face in an advancing society. It’s not as if older people don’t use the web, because they do. It’s just that they are not as actively involved with it in public settings, or even digital settings. “Wired” seniors are often as enthusiastic as younger users in the major activities that define online life such as email and the use of search engines to answer specific questions. In other words, we should not stereotype all older adults as technophobes (fears of technology). With that being said, then why don’t the elderly understand the technology as well as the teens? If you remember the problems I stated with aging, then you may remember why they have problems. According to a poll done in California, 23.9% of the elderly and 30.3% of disabled people polled state the reason for not using technology as, “little or no knowledge of what it can do” (Web). Older generations have trouble grasping the concepts of what can be achieved while online, and tend to “futz” around more than younger users. Younger users seem less afraid to just “click”, where as an older user may reach the conclusion that their computer may break when they “click.”

Explaining the Internet to a senior citizen can often be tantamount to explaining the universe to a young child. But a computer is only as effective as the bandwidth of connectivity, i.e., the weakest link in the chain limits all other features and attributes. People in general and especially older people will quickly lose interest and avoid the frustration of waiting for some vast and complex web page to download. This frustration can be subdued if people are willing to spend time educating and providing help to these willing citizens. The invention of touch-screen interfaces and larger keyboards, and other advances in computer design have made computers for seniors much more comfortable, and Internet use among seniors much more widespread. We have come a long way since the Internet started, and still have a long way to go in order to achieve a high level of accessibility for the elderly.

Work Cited

International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet. “The plan to assist the use of the information and communication technology, and secure the web accessibility for elderly and disabled individuals.” Web. May 23rd, 2000 http://www.icdri.org/Asia/japanpress.htm