As a general rule, there seems to be a negative correlation between age and interest in using new technology. The older one gets, the less likely it is that you know about new gadgets. Case in point, my grandmother refuses to own a cellphone and had to be forced to learn using the remote (which she ended up loving and now, I’m told, she hogs the TV all the time). Although, it must be admitted that there are some who break the trend. I also know of some old people who are the epitome of techie and, conversely, I know of some young people whose relationship with computers begins and stops at Microsoft Word.
But what’s with the general trend? It can’t be an innate inability to adapt to and learn about new technology. I know of really smart old people who wouldn’t even dare touch a computer, even though I’m sure they’d be able to learn using it in a heartbeat. So it must really be a matter of choice. What drives the choice, however?
Well, one of the driving forces I think is fear. There seems to be a fear of new technology and of the daunting requirements of having to learn to adapt to it. It’s really a fear of the unknown and of not knowing if you can overcome said unknown. So some of these old people convince themselves that they would never be able to learn it anyway and give up before even trying.
Another reason is contentment, I think. Most of these old people are content with the way things are and the way things work. They are able to do enough and enjoy adequate convenience with the ways that they are accustomed to. Thus, they are no longer willing to go through the additional hassle of learning something new in order to acquire additional benefits, because they don’t appreciate such added benefit as much as young people do, I suppose. I guess I understand this outlook. I mean, an analogy could be drawn with clubbing, for me. I’m no longer as willing as when I was younger to go through the added bother of a really tiring night to enjoy the added fun that comes with clubbing. With age really comes a different set of priorities.
Lastly, one more reason for the choice is that these old people are really just stuck to their old ways. They already have their routines and they prefer to keep them that way. I guess I can relate to this as well. With music, for example, I really prefer the music that was prevalent during the nineties and evade a lot of contemporary music by choice.
It’s really interesting how apathetic most older people are about technology while the younger generation are hooked to it like they’re on life support. The gap is really just fascinating and, maybe, we should take a page from these wiser people in order to live our lives less addicted to gadgets?
Aldous Benjamin Camiso, Blog Entry #13.
Image Source: http://dailystooge.com/?p=2578
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