to think my parents are the most technically-useless out there?

[SileneOliveira]

My parents are mid-70s. Both had professional careers where they didn't have to use computers before they retired 15 or so years ago. (Primary teaching and dentistry). They are totally and utterly incompetent with anything technological.

I had a phone call at 11.59pm last night from Dad's mobile. (An old Motorola brick). Nobody spoke when I answered. So the obvious conclusion is that something is terribly wrong. Called back on the landline, a very grumpy Mum answered. She had no idea what was going on and why had I got her out of her bed? Fuck me, if you can't even "drive" a basic Motorola flip phone you've got problems and why are you tawtting about with it at midnight anyway?

They also think I'm being incredibly unreasonable in asking them to take their mobile when I collect them from the airport. As the airport has no free drop-off zone I've asked them to call me when they're physically walking out of hte airport so I can scoot into the 10 minutes for £2 zone and get them. This is apparently unreasonable as I can phone the airport and find out when the plane landed and make a guess as to how long it will take them to clear passport control and get their luggage. (If it wasn't a late night flight I'd be telling them to get the bus).

I have never sent or received a text from my parents. The would think Siri was a new Lebanese restaurant.

When I read about people's parents facetiming them, or a family WhatsApp group my face is like this . It's so very alien to me.

Anyome else got parents like this???

Lottigarnanzo
Finally the voice.of.reason. it is perfectly possible to check the time a plane is due to.land and use.that to quite accurately gauge when.to arrive. This is the way it was donefor decades before mobile phones were common. You can plan the to be a bit later if you don't want to be too early and they can 'gasp shock' wait a bit until.you arrive to collect them.

Too much technology is absolutely overwhelming and has been shown to cause more anxiety than is good for.us.
I too hate the modem idea that we must reply instantly to.all.messages and be available at all time to allay the anxieties of the person at the other end of we are not instantly accessible.
I too would assume a pocket dial mistake if called in the early hours rather than some disaster.

I'm 47. Grew up with b&w TV, no remote, 3 channels, test card most of the day. No car, just buses. Dialling on the static phone (in the kitchen not the hall! We were so modern!) took ages.

I started work on typewriters. The fax was considered amazing new technology. I worked at a consultancy in 1996/7 where there was a typing pool and access to the Internet was dial up through one terminal in a company with 200 employees. As I was commuting a long way, I invested in a mobile. Even friends who were doctors were still resisting these as late as 2006.

I love technology. I feel blessed to live at a time when all the things I have wished for (streaming!! only having to get the song you like, not pay for the whole album! Wikipedia!) are real, everyday things. Yes, I can do long division, but life was more limited and more frustrating and more dull before smartphones. It's about attitude.

In the early 2000s my employer provided us all with pagers, mobile phones were too expensive for them to shell out for them.

Also in terms of airport pick up time, phoning is no more accurate. You still have to leave home at a certain time to pick someone up and potentially hit traffic snag ups. It only works if you live literally by the airport. I have to drive 40 minutes to pick someone up from the airport. I have to still estimate when to leave.

I had a hard time containing myself as I was eavesdropping on my mildly techno-shy wife on the telephone to her very hard of hearing, stubborn, non-English speaking, short tempered 80+ year old father trying to resolve a problem with his lap top - with English menus using the Latin alphabet running a different browser than the one she uses.

It was the router all along, which neither of them had ever dealt with.

The grandchildren sort him out eventually when one of them visit, which fortunately they do quite frequently.

Then the fun starts all over again because each one configures things the way they like it, which differs from every other grandchild.

He ALWAYS forgets where the piece of paper with all the new passwords on that they told him to keep safe, is being kept safe.

Yes PIL. MIL still says 'you can't beat the good old Pears dictionary'.

My parents don’t have the internet. If they want to use it they go to the library. They have never done online banking.

Reflectant The travel companies will be missing out on a lucrative market then. I will only buy a smartphone,when there is literally no alternative, and I can't just buy a mini brick.

Dh has an iPhone supplied by his employer. When he retires in December art 58, he won't be replacing it with a smartphone as he won't need one and doesn't want to waste money paying for one.

I don't do online banking either. I can do it perfectly well, but I worry about getting my numbers wrong. Easier to do telephone banking.

OP I have their twins. It's very frustrating at times. They don't like making calls on their mobiles. They have never learned to text
(They downright refuse) they don't use ATMs or go online or drive. My mother has just turned 70 and my dad is 73. My dad isn't long retired so I don't understand how he is so awkward. My mother worked full time until about 16 years ago. They are both otherwise bright capable people.

YABU

My DM is the best communicator I know. She talks to people takes time to stop and actually converse with people instead of having her face plastered onto her phone screen tapping away all day. Being socially inept is often linked with heavy tech usage if you rely on it more than human interaction. She doesn't need Fakebook or Instagram to make friends or keep in touch. I wouldn't dream of thinking of her in terms of being useless with IT. She is competent organised and 'switched on' without technology props. That's her choice which I don't feel strongly enough about to think she's useless

I think you have other issues if your views about them are so influenced by their mobile phone usage you have to start a thread on here to slag them off.

I'm really looking forward to self-driving cars. That's one technology which will hugely improve the life and independence of older people who no longer want to drive themselves around.

I can set the car to drive to wherever, and sit and read a book or knit. Heaven.

I’m undecided whether I find my df’s bewildered indifference or my dfil’s frustrating incompetence worse.
Df can’t be doing with all that new technology at all (but pouts because I send pictures and messages to dm’s mobile).
But dfil who is quite up to date, has very high expectations of technology and constantly runs into issues because it doesn’t work as he thinks it should dh spends hours on the phone talking him through emergency tech problems that always have to be sorted right now. When we visit I start saying goodbye and putting on my coat 30 mins before we need to leave as that’s the cue for him to remember that the laptop isn’t working.

I use a map if I am travelling somewhere new, but use my satnav for the last bit if I have no directions.
However, DD (16) when asked to text me an address just sent the postcode, when I asked for the house name/number she didn't know but told me I didn't need it!!!!!!!!! Her and her mates assumed EVERY house had it's own postcode.

When trying to establish where a valentine card came from she had no idea that a letter put into a post box would be sent to a sorting office in a large town, and 'sorted' then sent to a local office for delivery; I have no idea if she thought the postman had to collect it then deliver it, no matter where in the country it might be.

It's all very well having technology that can do 'everything', but it worries me that future generations might loose the ability to think for themselves.

My nan refuses to use her VIDEO player because she don't like all the 'mod cons' let alone a dvd player lmao.
She doesn't own a mobile.. Recently got a cordless land-line that's about it.

FIL turns off the internet at night 'to stop people sitting outside in cars stealing it all'.

My Dad is a 68yo retired engineer. He used tech all his working life.

Yet can't set bloody Netflix up on

Siblings and I are convinced it is learned helplessness as He does manages what's app, phone & text on his iPhone. Does check his email but only via the web interface not mail.

His sister is a bloody nightmare though. My sister and I have both historically invested hours choosing the best smartphone deal for her (mine was for an iPhone 3G, sisters a 5C). Neither got bought and she is still paying 30quid a month for a Motorola brick with 500 minutes and 50texts.
Vodafone must be laughing all the way to the bank.

She misses out though. We forget to include her in stuff because most family comms go via various what's app groups.
I'm a bit unrepentant though. Choices have consequences.

Nothing has changed in terms of having to learn new technology. I remember getting my first etch a sketch for Christmas back in the late 60's it was JUST AMAZING!! Like everything else you have to master it.

And also like most other things, the more you use it the better you become and it doesn't sound like they are using it enough. I used my first computer when I was 33, my son used his first when he was 2.. guess who learned it quicker?

God how frustrating. I don’t blame you for being annoyed, I would be too, but both my parents are pretty good with tech.

The ones who don’t trust ATMs really confuse me. The first one in the U.K. was in 1967, it’s hardly newfangled!

No idea what daisychain01 is on about. It’s annoying to have to do something really inconvenient because the person you’re doing the favour for won’t do the most logical thing - in this case, text you as they’re walking out the airport. They already have a mobile fgs! Not sure how that translates into OP has no social skills

My DH has a Nokia 3310, he calls and texts and that's it. Never touches the iPad, takes forever to even send an email on the laptop never mind actually use the internet. God forbid we get lost when we're out and I say I'm going to look it up on Google maps, no we need to ASK random people because he doesn't trust Google. He's only 34 ffs. Its not just an older person thing

Think yourself lucky op, at least you don't have to constantly teach/fix/help/look at possible computer viruses. It is painful.

my fil is better now but intially wouldnt take his mobile anywhere he said whats the pinit

er so people can get hold of you? he now does take it out although it does get turned off alot

they shold just phone u as u asked and you are picking them up u cant guess when they are through baggage and customs its impossible

Oh yes. That's another one. FIL turns his mobile off and puts it in a drawer 'to save the battery'. He's convinced it costs something like £10 to charge a phone.

My parents and PIL are okay in general but struggle if something 'breaks', which might mean anything from minor problem to major computer-on-fire. I have spent a lot of phone calls going "so what exactly is happening?... yes, I know you've already told me 'the Internet is broken' but you told me that by email!" And then when I do try to fix something they get annoyed that I'm not talking them through it, when what I'm doing is just clicking on random things to try. Doesn't matter when I say "I'm not fixing it yet, I'm just trying to work out what the problem is", they are convinced that there is an exact step of clicks and menus to take to fix 'broken internet' and I know exactly what it is and won't explain.

Worst for this though was someone I worked with about 10 years ago, who was in her 20s and refused to do anything 'with technology'. She got the (extremely overworked already) office admin staff to do anything computer-related for her. We were all but work just shrugged it off because she was only there for a year anyway.

I grew up without tech, excepting a games console in my teens - I’m only in my 30s. I was an adult before I had a mobile phone and in my 20s before I had the internet in my house.

My Mum had a mobile phone and a computer long before I did.