Why Are Older Folks Still Afraid of Technology?
I have noticed a trend among some 50-somethings, especially if they are educators. They cannot seem to get out of their old ways. Let me point out a few examples. I cannot help but lament about my bioethics professor’s lack of computer prowess. As a retired lawyer, she can sure talk the talk but is constantly grumbling while in front of a computer screen. When pages freeze, files don’t load, or the projector fails to turn on, she just gets stirred up. It is not just major problems, but basic Computers 101 stuff which are an issue. One time she was even about to call tech support because the university webmail wouldn’t come up. It wasn’t a real problem. She just wasn’t typing the URL in the address bar correctly. I couldn’t take it that she was calling support for such a silly reason. I just got out of my seat and typed the darn address. How many times does it take before you know how to view a Powerpoint slideshow? (Yes, you press that silly little icon on your bottom right!) She ended the semester with a closing statement: “As you can see, I flunked Computers.” She says it like technology is an insurmountable body of knowledge.
In another example, I consider my aunt who is a middle school social studies teacher. When she checks her email and the page loads slowly, she’s the one who says the computer is “thinking.” She asks me how anybody could ever spend so much time on a thing. She’s the type who thinks she got robbed if her TV set lasts for less than 25 years. She has electronics from ages ago. So when her VHS player started going haywire before expected, she was mortified. Together we went on a hunt for a replacement. I knew it was not going to be an easy ride. She couldn’t let go of her VHS collection so we settled on a VHS/DVD combo. We went to RadioShack. She purchases a model. We go back to her place and due to a technical problem, it wasn’t compatible with her TV system. The second combo has defective. The third time my aunt grew even more impatient. “I’m like the Unabomber,” she told the unsuspecting sales clerk. “I HATE technology!” The clerk took two steps back. She took time to absorb her own words. “No, wait. I didn’t mean that. I don’t hurt people. I just meant the technology part.” Luckily the third time was a charm, and we ended the night on a movie. Yes, it was on DVD too.