Everything online

I agree; and yes, I personally have used computers for work and personal purposes for a very long time.

However, a lot of older people (by no means all, of course) have lived lives and done jobs where they either haven't needed computers or otherwise have been able to avoid using them.

For many people, the fact that they haven't used them before means that they have never been in the position to understand fully just how extremely useful tools computers and the Internet are, so they naturally don't know any different.

We're now in the weird position where lots of young, fit, healthy people have great convenience to do things that they could easily have done 'the old-fashioned way' even more easily; whereas a lot of elderly people who would stand to benefit far more from the convenience that modern methods could bring to them in accessing things that they may now struggle to do in the 'traditional' way are still struggling and not benefiting from it.

No, I agree. If PlayStations were the main/only means of communicating, shopping and living modern life, rather than just mainly for playing games that don't interest me, then I would make the effort to use and understand them.

I was just responding to the suggestion (as I inferred it) and pointing out that, although computers have been around for several decades, they've only really become pretty much essential for fully integrating in modern society over the last decade, decade and a half.

Moreover, I think we've seen a very interesting generational twist in the information age, whereby previously, the natural way was that older people would use and understand things first and then pass that knowledge down to younger people; whereas with computers and the internet, it's mainly the youngsters who are at the vanguard and many of the older people have been caught completely unawares, and the idea of older folk having to learn about life essentials from younger folk just seems so baffling and uncomfortable.

Haven’t you had to use them for work? It’s not about whether I’m interested in computers - I’m not, any more than I’m interested in tvs, or cars, or electric lights. They are tools and make life easier.

Well, @DalzielOrNoDalzielAndDontPascoe that’s of course entirely your choice but you can’t then complain that things are more time consuming and difficult for you.

edit: sorry didn’t intend to quote the whole post. Techno-twit !

It is true that computers have been around for domestic consumers for three decades or more; BUT for much of that time, they've not been essential to or dominated most of modern life and communications.

Personally, I'd liken computers in general to something like the PlayStation: they've been around for many years now, but they've never interested me in the slightest, so I've never used one and wouldn't really know how to; whereas millions of (mainly considerably younger) people find using them as natural as breathing.

I agree but I think ultimately human contact will be filtered to the barest minimum. Almost everyone will work from home, robots and AI will perform the majority of manual tasks (including medical), shops will be historic curios, human babies will be grown in laboratories as will meat. GM crops will be grown in vast poly tunnels and tended by AI and every home will have fully immersive holographic entertainment systems. I suppose the only things left will possibly be restaurants and holiday resorts. Although the latter is probably in question with the push back against tourists both here and abroad. This is all assuming we don't blow ourselves up in the meantime.

@ilovesooty

I think my sister and I have to help her. She had some very peculiar health problems and was found out that she has some sort of chromosomal problem when she was 70. She has officially now learning disability. You couldn't tell but she isn't the cleverest.

I spend my working days making polite chit chat and interacting with people. It’s tiring. When it comes to my basic life admin/shopping, I want to buy my pastry or book my blood test without pleasantries. Nice, simple and done, with no real effort from me.

If someone is old and can't use computers and smartphones what have they been doing for the past 30 years?

Having spent the last 3 weeks going through number choices for problems, getting cut off, having to start at the beginning in numerous occasions, I hear you.
Sometimes when you do get through to a human they are so obviously reading from screen options or like a hot potato pass you to another department who are equally clueless... and round you go again!
Seriously has brought both my husband and myself close to breaking point. Bots can only recognise certain words and not the ones I need to use . Very quick to send the survey though and tell me " no problem" or " perfect " which it is far from.
I'm not a technophobe and can cope with most of my needs all be it on a small smartphone but customer service on 3 of the broadband providers is not fit for purpose.
Ongoing saga and open complaint on one and CA for advice on others.
Husband classed as vulnerable which one provider harped on about everytime I got a new " support" person.... I was assured that he was top priority etc... their box ticked, has it made a blind bit of difference, NOT at all.
Now avoiding calls as the hoops are exhausting, feel for anybody experiencing similar...

Computers were commonly in households 25 years ago.

If someone is now in their 80s and refuses to use technology then that has been an active choice on their part, since they were in their fifties. They would just have to deal with their choice making processes harder and slower to access, or make someone else do it for them.
There have been lots of free library courses over the decades aimed at older people, and modern tablets are very easy to use.

So what's she going to do if he dies before she does?

My mum has never been using computers. She doesn't have a smartphone. She 77 and my dad deals all the bills and stuff. On the other hand my late grandfather used computers and smartphones until his death at 98.

"Older people" cope. Provided they actually have any interest in learning new skills. My granny is in her late 80s and she uses her iPad all the time. One of the grandkids helps to set up new technology but that's all the helps she needs. She received a robot hoover which is controlled via the app for Christmas and she is absolutely delighted with it and, apparently, texts daily updates on its performance to my mum.
My grandfather taught himself programming in the 90s so that he could pivet his skills when manufacturing was dying out (he worked at a factory his entire life).
My 90 y/o mother in law is an author. She uses technology extensively. Her husband couldn't give a shit about it so he doesn't bother to learn because he knows she will sort him out with whatever he needs.
I am actually more frequently hearing from people in their 40s and 50s how bad they are with technology. I have no idea how or why that happened.

I have a 90 year old friend who manages smartphones and computers. There's becoming less and less excuse for people to be unable to function online.

My gosh.. how old? I'm a pensioner and got my first PC ( big Packard Bell) same year Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989.
My sister in her 70s is very all things Technical.

I’m not sure about that. My mun was born in 1930 and was a driver, as were all her friends. Dad was born 8n 1921 and seemed to manage cooking ok - I mean, he wouldn’t do a recipe but he could do baked spuds and stuff, meat and 2 veg, sausage and chips type stuff.
I think there’s a tendency not to change our view of ‘old people’ as we age. People who are even 90 retired this millennium. They’ve used computers at work.

@Dotjones is there a reason you are so keen to avoid interacting with a person? We keep reading and discussing how anxiety and stress and loneliness is building to epidemic proportions and how people can't cope with everyday normal interactions...all of the automated alternatives are simply making it worse to the point when you HAVE to interact it becomes a huge deal. It's not healthy.

I agree with you, but a great deal of the generation who are most apprehensive/dismissive of the internet also never learned to drive (mainly women) or cook (mainly men).

Most of the "elderly" people I know 70s/80s say technology has made their life easier, not harder.

I don't like banking online. I used computers for almost my whole working life. I started at 16 and finished at 76. Now on a pension and only having an relatively elderly Samsung Galaxy, I'm worried that it will be hacked. I'm fortunate in that I can drive to my bank and speak to human beings. I have M E, and they are very patient with me. I withdraw cash, which is easier for me as I can see/count how much I have left for the week, and budget accordingly.

Bill Gates is 70 years old in a few months, there's really no excuse. If you haven't learned you need to, it's a basic expected life skill like cooking or driving.

It annoys me more when you have to do everything by post, it puts endless delays in the process