Everything online

[Words]

I've had an IT issue recently with my devices and am also pretty technophobic .

It's extremely stressful as everything- everything- is done online. I am currently reliant on a tiny iPhone.

My new tablet will need everything re in stalling and access re configuring.

I dread this and wonder how on earth older people cope.

I tried to register a new address with Hmrt by phone. It seems literally impossible.

What if you are elderly and have no online access and no help?

It's horrifying.

I would much rather deal with things online than by telephone.

Technology is part of life now, surely we haven't got many years left of saying elderly people can't use technology when the smartphone has been out for nearly 20 years and computers for God knows how long.

Having previously worked with older people, I was surprised to learn that despite fears expressed around this, you can actually still do more or less anything an elderly technophobe would want to do in person or via mail or on the phone. It takes much longer, of course, and can be very bureaucratic, but if you’ve never tried to do it differently then you simply don’t know that the way you’re doing things is inconvenient - or consider it inconvenient. Plenty of our elderly residents would spend entire days travelling on the bus visiting the council offices, going to the bank, phoning utility companies, coming to us to pay their rent in cash in person, going out to shop in person - but they were used to it as it’s what they’d always done. And the things they couldn’t do this way? Well, they didn’t know they existed, so didn’t miss them, either.

Long term, I think people who consider themselves technophobes need to make an active effort to hone and keep their tech skills up to date, because ultimately, shying away and not keeping in the loop is what leads to digital exclusion. You don’t want to end up at 80 wishing you’d kept more abreast of everything at 40 and made it your norm.

You need a cloud backup from your phone. That way everything can be restored in an instant.

Was just going to say everything is backed up in the cloud
I've just done this with my new phone( very pleased with my iPhone 16e)

I tried to register a new address with Hmrt by phone. It seems literally impossible.

That's the thing, people prefer to do things online because it takes away the need for human contact. It's the same reason I prefer to use a self-service checkout at the supermarket, even if the queue is longer - I don't have to deal with a human being except when they authorise the alcohol.

I get that for older people in particular change can be hard (not always). But technology moves on, it always has, and people have always faced a choice of adapting to new technology or suffering the consequences. People didn't like it when they had to get a new TV when ITV came out, people didn't like it when they had to start phoning banks up rather than going into branches, people didn't like trains initially because going over 30mph might kill you.

Humans have evolved because of our ability to adapt. As with an evolutionary change, those that can't adapt get left behind. Survival of the fittest, in the sense of survival of those who fit best.

I’m in my 60s. My generation invented the worldwide web. I’ve been using computers all my working life. Another ten years and pretty much no one will be able to claim not to do computers.

I had a job working nights so using online rather than the phone is much more convenient for me.

The apps on your previous phone /tablet should automatically sync as long as you backed everything up to the cloud.

It is frustrating setting things up the first time though.

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

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.

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.

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

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).

@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’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.

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 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.

"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.

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.

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

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.

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...

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

Oh god. I feel appalling. I am not even 60 . Feel
So inadequate. I have worked fine with IT all my life in office settings.

I wanted to explain how awful it feels when the whole bloody thing goes down.

Piss off with your snotty observations

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.