If you have adult children in their 20’s or 30’s do they think you are a techno novice? Do they think you seldom shop if ever on line? Do they think that you use FaceBook just because they set it up for you? Are you perpetuating the myth that women and men over 50 are not truly comfortable on line?
I know better. I know that the fastest growing demographic group on FaceBook is the woman over 50. I know that men and women over 50 are the fastest growing group signing up for Skype. I know that customers for my on line business are shopping all hours and often. So why the disconnect?
Many of us remember DOS. We remember when a computer took up an entire room. We remember when computer science class in college was similar to a foreign language class.
Many of us shop on line for all kinds of services, products and research. I can’t remember the last time I pulled out a phonebook. When trying a new restaurant, I check the reviews. I pay bills on line, reserve movies, and read newspapers. Most of my friends do the same, but if you ask their kids they would not know that their Moms and Dads are this computer proficient. Even those kids, who know their parents are using their computers often, still think they have superior computer skills. Sure they have been using computers their entire lives, but we aren’t brain dead! Just because we asked them to set up our new computer, or install a program or show us a short cut does not mean we could not do it ourselves. It just may take us an hour and 15 minutes for them.
My, my. Should we just leave the kids happy in their ignorance or inform them about the truth? I lean for the truth because their attitude can spill over to the work place to their over 50 co-workers. It is one thing for your own kid to scoff at a computer question but scoffing has no place in the work place
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Thanks Pat and Crowsister. You both make the point that we appreciate the value that computers and technology can lend to our lives.
July 1, 2010 - 3:16pmI also agree that we understand the ramifications of technology too. A friend of mine who has a business needed some summer help and after screening people, she looked her selected up on FaceBook. I mention this because the older applicants did not show their FaceBook pictures of downing tequilla shots!
This Comment
Hi HaraLee - I am larfin' up my sleeve at this - at age 60 I am far more techno-savvy than my kids. Sure, when digital watches first came in, they were the ones who showed me how to change the settings with a biro point in a little hole in the side - but I was the one who worked out the first Video recorder - and I went to college in my 40's and got ahead of them and have stayed there.
My last job I was witness to an older co-worker who finally gave up on our dreaded fax and insisted that the IT dept came and sorted out the connection - thereby earning herself a "doesn't handle technology well" on her tri-monthy assessment. She fought this, and finally made them see that her attitude was of the user who understood the technology, and that when it was not working it required fixing rather than not understanding. And yes, she was an older woman and the assessor was a young chap.
I use my computer more than my children do. Much more. I use my computer as a wonderful tool to enhance my lfe. I don't play games but I do a lot of research and connect with many old friends and quite a few new, online. My kids all know this, and come to me for assistance with things electronic. Which is very nice and I am glad to help.
July 1, 2010 - 2:55pmThis Comment
This is quite an interesting Share, Haralee. Many younger people in the workforce do have a condescending attitude toward older workers and technology, which is harmful for all involved. I once worked with a manager who had an extremely difficult employee in her 30's who made fun of his tech knowledge, saying that unlike him she was "born on the web" and superior. I taught him how to set up a Facebook account and how to view his employee's comments there. She left a time-stamped trail of times that she claimed to be working from home and wasn't; she disparaged her employer online; and in general she provided data that was not in her best interest. And, by the way, her boss was in his 40's, not exactly a dinosaur.
June 30, 2010 - 5:49pmThis Comment