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Senior Citizens' Adaptation to Modern Technology

Ap Seminar

2023

Word Count: 2070

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Introduction

Throughout a modernized society, gaps form between generations based on the amount of

technology they use. As research by Mitzer and colleagues (2010) at the Georgia Institute of

Technology on computer use percentages, “Statistics reveal that 25% of adults over 65 report

using a personal computer whereas 56% of those 55–64 years of age and 68% of those 25–54

years of age reported such use” (Mitzner et al.). This data reveals the prevalent issue of a decline

in the usage of modern technology as one belongs to an older generation. This leads to the

consensus that older generations are unable to apply technology to their everyday lifestyle

leaving them behind and unable to take advantage of the benefits that coincide with using

technology. In order to combat this disadvantage, senior citizens and other members of the

community must change their viewpoints on the capabilities of senior citizens when it comes to

overcoming these technological barriers. As pronounced by Nelson Mandela (1994) over the

real-life adversity he faced throughout his time in prison, “...keeping one’s head pointed toward

the sun, one’s feet moving forward…could not give myself up to despair” (Mandela). Through

the overcomings of one’s doubt they have of themselves and others, people are able to strive to

new levels through the acceptance of a new understanding of a specific group of people. So, as

senior citizens accept technology into their lives, they are better suiting themselves for the

efficiency that these technologies applications can provide. As the graying of our population

continues to occur, this issue brings relevance to the productivity that these older generations will

be able to generate. This begs the question, to what extent do these poor technological

understandings influence senior citizens’ ability to stay productive in the modern world?

Biological Influences Impact upon Ability to Use Modern Technology

As aging occurs, one’s biological ability to solve problems, navigate, and learn quickly

based on different situations decreases. This is due to the effects aging has on your fluid
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intelligence. Fluid intelligence is your ability to process information in real-time. Buggs and his

colleagues (2006) at Colorado State University found through their research on brain functions

with age that “...the age-related decline in fluid intelligence is due to general slowing and frontal

decline…” (Bugg et al.). Through the functional decline in the frontal lobe which is where fluid

intelligence occurs, senior citizens' ability to adequately respond to stimuli diminishes. This

trend promotes an increasing issue as concluded by Bugg (2006) who studies psychological

developments, “A number of aspects of cognition are detrimentally affected by aging, including

processing speed, memory, and reasoning; the negative age trends are often large; and the decline

often begins before age 50” (Bugg et al.). Through these declining processes senior citizens are

not being exposed to the benefits that coincide with technology use and are prevented from doing

so due to the negative neurological effects that come with aging. The research found by

Fernández and colleagues (2017) at the University of La Laguna over the importance of

technological applications, “Being connected to others and exchanging information reflects the

constructive side to this technology, facilitating their participation in social networks and

communities and, as a result, improving their quality of life” (Meneses Fernández et al.). This

better understanding of the importance that technology has in one’s day-to-day life helps express

the importance of involving senior citizens in technology and the capabilities this brings to them.

But, through this better understanding of why senior citizens are unable to adequately use

technology, we are able to adjust in order to make technology more suitable for senior citizens.

Social Influences Control Over Senior Citizens' Abilities to Use Technology

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As people age, our perception of these people’s ability to use technology changes and we

develop a strong negative regard towards their capabilities with technology. In a study by Guner

and Acarturk (2018) from Middle East Technical Institute, they concluded that “Conventional

wisdom seems to promote this divide and suggests that the elderly may not have the dexterity to

operate technology, that their dislike of change restricts technology adoption, and that

technology is a young person’s revolution” (Guner & Acarturk). Through the development of

this idea that technology can only be applied to younger generations and that elderly populations

lack the ability to understand these new innovations, we are developing a technological gap

between generations. These negative stereotypes about the abilities of the senior population

damage the self motivations senior citizens may have to use technology. A study by Githens and

colleagues (2007) at the University of Illinois on human nurture and organizational potential

found that “One of the most damaging stereotypes of older adults is that they are rigid and do not

want to learn. We often attribute rigidity to age rather than personality” (Githens). These

damaging stereotypes further promote negative regard towards senior citizens and the application

of technology, hence causing a further reduction in the usage of technology within these older

populations. Though this problem can be mended through the proper communication of

technological understandings to the older populations. Phang and his colleagues' (2006) research

at the National University of Singapore over informational technology found that “By exposing

senior citizens to computing knowledge and holding sessions that let senior citizens share their

positive experiences of using a computer with their peers, senior citizens’ computer anxiety may

be alleviated” (Phang et al.). So through a better understanding of technology and a more

positive regard towards senior citizens' application of technology, they are more likely to

incorporate it into their lifestyles.

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Implications and solutions involved with Senior Citizens' Usage of Technology

The application of modern technology within older populations provides senior citizens

with a more efficient way to complete day-to-day tasks as well as communicate effectively with

their surroundings. As found by Phang and his team (2006) at the National University of

Singapore in the study of mobile commerce, “Convenience provided by technology has been

found to be one of the important factors influencing the use of innovations such as e-commerce

services” (Phang et al.). By effectively employing technology senior citizens are providing

themselves with a more efficient way to complete day-to-day tasks which allows for their life to

become similar and inevitably more efficient. In coordination with a more efficient lifestyle, the

use of technology among older generations also promotes productivity within society as a whole.

Through a survey from Tams and his colleagues (2014) at the University of Clemson on

technological development and improvement, they found that “Older workers are less likely than

their younger counterparts to participate in training initiatives to keep their technology-related

knowledge up to date ” (Tams et al., 2014). This shows that if senior citizens were to properly

incorporate technology into their work and home lifestyle will enhance their ability to complete

more tasks at a faster rate, hence increasing productivity for themselves and society as a whole.

With the incorporation of productivity and reduction in effect, comes more awareness of

technology usage among senior citizens as an overall generation. In the company of this comes

an increasing amount of senior citizens who become aware of technology allowing for a

continuous positive feedback loop to occur. This leaves the question of in what ways this mass

awareness of technology can take place. A study by Anikeeva and colleagues (2019) at the

Russian State Social University on senior citizens' views of technology discovered that “Most

respondents clearly associate improving their (technological)education with the quality of their
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life. This is relevant both for working older adults and for those who have already retired, with

computer education taking the central place in any of the options” (Anikeeva et al.). This proves

the fact that these older generations want to learn and incorporate technology into their lifestyle.

This provides a substantial audience when it comes to people who would participate in

technological teaching activities. This leads to the clearly applicable solution of providing digital

and in-person class settings in which these government-provided classes can be used to train

individuals on basic computer skills needed for day-to-day use. Anikeeva and colleagues (2019)

found through a field study that these two forms of teaching can reach a large mass of senior

individuals: “When raising their self-education level, the respondents turn to the Internet sources

(73.0%), take part in an educational activity in intramural groups (30.8%) or visit single lectures

(or cycles of lectures), workshops and seminars (23.1%), while distance learning is preferred by

15.4% of the respondents” (Anikeeva et al.). Through the introduction of these classes, senior

citizens will better be able to connect with all forms of technology learning. Although these

classes provide adequate forms of teaching for senior populations they also come with their

limitations. A major issue is that the process of teaching senior citizens is a slower process on its

own and combined with the fact that our world is continuously modernizing and developing new

technology it is hard for these classes to have prolonged value for these senior citizens. Building

upon this idea, opposing senior adaptation to technology is the fact of the matter that some

believe that due to older generations' biological disadvantage when it comes to learning if they

will be able to change their ways in order to properly adapt to these new forms of technology. As

addressed by Tams and his colleagues (2014) at The University of Clemson regarding

individuals' abilities to change their perceptions of technology, “Since older individuals received

their technological educations in former times when technology was far less complex… some
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older peoples’ mental models of how technology works may not suffice to support adequate

interactions” (Tams et al.). The fact that older generations have developed their own ideas of

what technology is, leaves a barrier between what they are able to consider as technology and

what they can comprehend due to the mental models they already have in place. Although these

past understandings might cause conflict when learning new information, it has been understood

that throughout senior citizens’ stages of learning, they go through a two-step process in order to

accommodate new information. As studied by Githens (2007) at The University of Illinois,

“However, there are common phases through which many older adults progress: (1) continuing

the same lifestyle as in middle-age, (2) revising lifestyles to accommodate changes that occur in

older adulthood…” (Githens). This provides an understanding that senior citizens in order to

adapt to their new surroundings each day change their viewpoints and understandings, hence

allowing them to learn new technological ideas.

Stimulus Connections

The idea is that in order for oneself to bring about change in the world requires the

incorporation of resilience toward the struggles that one may have. As expressed by Nelson

Mandela, a predominantly peaceful protester speaking about his real-life experiences in prison,

“How to survive prison intact, how to emerge from prison undiminished, how to conserve and

even replenish one’s beliefs” (Mandela, 1994). This demonstrates the fact that even through the

obstacles one is facing in order to truly change your position you must act upon it. In the same

manner, senior citizens' abilities to change their lifestyle and their ability to incorporate

technology boils down to the matter of whether they will overcome their obstacles and

stereotypes and use resilience to achieve a more modern way of life. Likewise to overcoming

adversity, another key way in order to show signs of survivorship is through the process of
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resilience. As found by Bender (2022) in a study on biomedical evolution, “Probably the

best-known example of urban evolution is the English peppered moth whose coloration darkened

in the 19th century in response to coal pollution” (Bender). When facing adversity in which in

order to continue onwards you must adapt those must embellish forms of resilience in order to

overcome these obstacles. Within our continually modernizing society in order to stay connected

one must change their original ways and accept these new forms of technology in order to stay

connected with our modern world.

Conclusion

Through a better understanding of the importance that modern technology plays in the

efficiency and connectivity of someone's life, senior citizens will continue to incorporate these

innovative forms of technology into their daily lives through the processes of overcoming the

adversity that coincides with changing a normal idea. Through this process, senior citizens will

become better connected with our day-to-day world and further embody resilience through their

use of technology.
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References

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