Technology and Old People

In the past I have found it the 35-55 age bracket who are least willing to learn, adapt or change to new developments. Often 55+ people have a lot more flexibility and openness to new stuff. I have no idea why. The very worse group of people to train are middle aged teachers and academics, a significant number of whom seem to think teaching other people enables them to legitimately totally close off their own minds. Very puzzling and also sad, as you would expect them to be the most open of all to new educational situations.

My kids would not flinch at most of those things.
Floppy disk might not be recognised in any flavour.

Did have to explain what the BSOD was to one of them a few weeks ago when he was asking about overclocking his PC. He thought it was hilarious.

Does it really though? email has been around for decades, internet browsers for 20 years

Yes, but their usability has been transformed.

How many young people email each other nowadays anyway? I haven’t send a social email in years.

I don’t really understand why separate power switches for PC and monitor would be such a mind-blowing concept when modern desktop PCs are exactly the same

A lot of teens haven’t used a desktop computer though, that’s the point. I know adults to whom I can’t give CDs because they only have tablets and phones in the house. And a huge number of people use ‘laptop’ as a synonym for PC.

The very worse group of people to train are middle aged teachers

was always fun at school to see them struggle playing a VCR tape

rofl @ illegal operation

best I’ve seen was the guy that put a 3.5″ floppy in to a (full height) 5.25″ drive. totally confused why it dropped inside. fished it out. the TRIED AGAIN! wtf?

or maybe that is bettered by the one that folded a 5.25 floppy in half to put it inside a 3.5″ drive?

Definitely recommend a trip to Bletchley Park, with both kids that are half your age, and your dad.

it’d have never occurred to me that a PC of that vintage might be in any way unusual to them. And yet, “Windows 95? Like, 1995? That’s before I was born!”

At the last parent’s evening her teacher commented that my then five-year-old daughter was the only one who knew how to use a mouse – the others were all prodding at the screen.

I also vividly remember watching her as a baby when she found a glossy magazine and tried to do pinch-zoom and swipe gestures to look through the photos.

Their concept of “a computer” is already very different from ours.

Floppy disk might not be recognised in any flavour

ah… the “Hey, look! Someone’s 3D printed the Save Icon”

Cars have been around for over two hundred years and have barely evolved in that time

yep mines full of technology but still not people friendly

and Bill Gates is 60

or maybe that is bettered by the one that folded a 5.25 floppy in half to put it inside a 3.5″ drive?

Once spoke to a guy who’d bought 72-pin SIMMs when his machine took 30-pin SIMMs. “I’ve put them in but they don’t work” he explained. Wait, what? The 72-pin modules are physically bigger, how have you managed to install them?

Turned out, he’d taken each one in turn and lopped an inch off the end with a hacksaw.

If we’re sharing “tech support hell” stories rather than just age-related differences, I’ve got a million of them. Perhaps there’s another thread in that.

Some of the most engaged of customers at user testing sessions are retired folk: they have all the time, and explore all the options. Seem more conscientious than younger folk, too.

Also, half the design team is itself pushing 50, so …

ah… the “Hey, look! Someone’s 3D printed the Save Icon”

That’s telling in itself; I’d bet that there’s a lot of people who will know it as the save icon without any idea why it looks like it does.

Struck me as equally strange my kids going ‘choo choo’ when being trains.

And what do these mysterious white bananas have to do with answering a call?

My Grandad (aged 92) is a bit of a mix.

He got a iPad and started using the internet at 91, FaceTime’s us, uploads pics, bought a wifi printer and prints them out for us when we visit. Amazing!

But then he said he was printing off his old emails and putting them in folders (actual physical folders) organised by date/sender so he could find them again.

At the other end of the scale, the teenage kids my girlfriend teaches use social media all the time, but don’t know how to send an e-mail.

My mum has started using emojis in her texts. She’s still not grasped that you don’t need to type the word out as well. Funny 🙂

Lol.. those kids watching that 90s instructional video.. Their reaction to the shit video is funniest. What they don’t realise is that was a really popular way of disseminating information in those days, we had to watch loads of that kind of shit. Their immunity is so low you can watch their skin crawl with embarrassment 🙂

Much more than technology has advanced over the years.

It’s easy to take stuff for granted. My mum found it hard work navigating around on her digital TV. She had never used a keyboard to move something around on a screen before, so the concept of moving the cursor around to select things using the remote was hard to explain.

Mr. Floppy Bender, above, was a PhD student. History, iirc.
I don’t think it’s just “technology and old people”, but “technology and non-technical people”, or even “topic of choice and people that have no interest in that topic of choice”.
It’s certainly not a function of cleverness or intelligence.

I still remember the first time my Mum used Skype. She was very please with herself getting it to work initiating the call and chatted for ages. We said goodbye and watched as she squinted at the screen and muttered and tutted for about 10 minutes trying to switch it off. Was comedy gold till one of the kids let slip.

I have not yet got my Atari ST out of the loft to show the kids. I have a feeling they’ll love the games.. Buggy Boy will be a hit.

My Mum has told herself that she can’t use a smartphone or a tablet. It’s a bit frustrating because she uses more complicated stuff at work all the time without a second thought.

Cars have been around for over two hundred years and have barely evolved in that time

You can’t honestly believe that? Just think of the improvements in safety, suspension, gearboxes, efficiency, power etc. Here are the basic specs from a Ford Model T from ~100 years ago; engine produced 20 hp giving a top speed of 40–45 mph and 16-25 mpg.

My mum found it hard work navigating around on her digital TV.

That’s not tech per se simply what you are used to. I can’t navigate easily on games consoles or Mac’s as I rarely use them, but it wouldn’t take me long to sort it if I had too.

But then he said he was printing off his old emails and putting them in folders (actual physical folders) organised by date/sender so he could find them again.

I have to archive (another word for lose never to see again) my email so often that I wonder if this is a better idea 😕

I bought an IPAD.

I only wanted to check emails and weather while I was on holiday, so if I could load Firefox I’d have all my favourites. It came with a case because I perceived it was built to be light and slim, not robust.

I opened the box, thought it probably needed charging. The power lead was too short to reach a wall socket behind me. I got upset by this, had to use the wander lead I have for power tools. I looked for a manual in the box. There wasn’t one. There wasn’t even a get you started booklet. How does one use a new piece of kit without a manual? There was a dinky little card, printed in a tiny font in grey ink. No use to my tired old eyes.

I taught it my thumbprint, then it nagged about a password. I was not a happy bunny by this point. It wouldn’t accept something easy as a temporary measure, until I’d gone on my hols and had time to persevere. I put in something contorted, like it wanted. It seemed relevant at the time.

I got so annoyed that I thought I’d leave it until I came back. And then I’d forgotten the stupid password.

So I’ve put it all in the **** it bucket.

A 500 quid lesson on being too old, or is it technology not suited to older people? I’ve read plenty of manuals. One can stick post-it notes, use highlighters, mark pages, scribble in margins, flick backwards and forwards, read and re-read.

I would expect they stopped printing them because no-one was reading them. I don’t read them – most stuff doesn’t need it any more.

or is it technology not suited to older people?

A lot of technology is not suited to people who grumble about creating passwords, I’ll grant you that. As for manuals, the whole beauty of so much modern technology is how – and there will always be exceptions – it is usable and accessible without resorting to reading a “how to” guide.

You’re a lot younger than I, molgrips.

I hope I’m this excited by new technology when I’m her age. I’d hate to think there’s nothing new to see anymore;

The old chap who founded our company in 1967 was quite “hands on” and one day he looked at the sequence of numbers for the new formulations created and worked out that we should be buying a load of box files for storage. Somebody told him: “Ah, we don’t need box files any more Mr D, everything is on the new computer”. “Yes, but where do you put the formulations?” he replied. “They’re stored on the computer Mr D!” “Yes, but where do you actually put the formulations?”

He got on the phone to the supplier and ordered a dozen new box files, which got quietly sent back once he’d forgotten about them.

You’re a lot younger than I, molgrips.

True, but I wonder what practical difference does that make? Perhaps because I’ve had more exposure to tech than you? Maybe it was part of my life at some kind of formative stage? Interesting question.

It will be interesting to see if my generation ends up like the current lot of 80 year olds when we ourselves are 80. Or if our skills will continue to be transferrable.

thought it probably needed charging

Did it? My experience of iDevices is that they don’t usually need charging out-of-the-box and before setup, but I suppose some may come with flat batteries.

How does one use a new piece of kit without a manual?

Ever bought a claw hammer with a manual? Ever wondered how many people don’t know what the claw is for? People have been making tools without manuals for decades. It’s not unique to modern tech and the fact you did manage to turn it on and follow the instructions is some testament to the efficacy of the manual-free approach. Is it not?

Reading your post, it does sound a bit like you wanted the experience to be a bad one. Am I right? 🙂

A 500 quid lesson on being too old, or is it technology not suited to older people? I’ve read plenty of manuals. One can stick post-it notes, use highlighters, mark pages, scribble in margins, flick backwards and forwards, read and re-read.

My Gran is 90 and struggles to change a lightbulb, and even she managed to get an iPad up and running.

And my dad (who likes sailing boats, narrow boats, and 1950’s Russian motorbikes for technology savy context) manages to use an Android tablet.

You might be older than one, but you’re not older than my nan!

He got on the phone to the supplier and ordered a dozen new box files, which got quietly sent back once he’d forgotten about them.

Gods help you if you don’t have backups and the hard drive crashed, mind.

I have not yet got my Atari ST out of the loft to show the kids. I have a feeling they’ll love the games.. Buggy Boy will be a hit.

Don’t be so soft. Start ’em on Rick Dangerous.

My Mum has told herself that she can’t use a smartphone or a tablet. It’s a bit frustrating because she uses more complicated stuff at work all the time without a second thought.
…
True, but I wonder what practical difference does that make? Perhaps because I’ve had more exposure to tech than you? Maybe it was part of my life at some kind of formative stage? Interesting question.

I think perhaps it is a mindset thing. Some people fear change perhaps, and see this as some sort of New World Order. And some just like to wear their lack of skills like a badge of pride, I’ve had people proudly tell me “I don’t understand any of this computer shit” (whilst working in Finance).

I looked for a manual in the box. There wasn’t one. There wasn’t even a get you started booklet. How does one use a new piece of kit without a manual?

the manuals are on the internet!

http://help.apple.com/ipad/9/#/

People used to technology seem to forget that we’ve had decades to learn the terminology and techniques and as most new products are a small evolutionary step onwards the lack of a manual probably isn’t a big deal. For someone starting from little or no experience it’s a much bigger problem.

Even in that video the guy explaining stuff to his grandfather is using terms that probably mean nothing to old fella and even if they do the information is coming at such a rate that he’s little chance of retaining much of it.

and some just like to wear their lack of skills like a badge of pride

At least they’re advertising it plainly, it’s quite helpful, a bit like a sign, saves time in finding out what they’re like. Etc.

the manuals are on the internet!

Reminds me of an old episode of Cheers where Woody had bought a VCR. “Are you sure you know how to set that up Woody?” they asked, “they’re pretty complicated things.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” he replies, “it comes with an instructional video.”

I got so annoyed that I thought I’d leave it until I came back. And then I’d forgotten the stupid password.

slowoldgit – you’re not alone! I took my Samsung tablet back to the high street retailer whom I’d bought it from and told them I’d forgotten my password. Once they realised they were dealing with a halfwit (did have my receipt though) they sorted me out quickly, clearly to get me out of the shop pronto. 😳 Very helpful so no complaints.

At least they’re advertising it plainly, it’s quite helpful, a bit like a sign, saves time in finding out what they’re like. Etc.

Good point. As in Bill Engvall’s “here’s your sign” sketch.