Digital literacy for elderly

                    Digital literacy for elderly

There should not be any debate about the fact that the change driven by the Digital Technology has been rapid and ubiquitous. Despite this truth, many people, particularly elderly people are very reluctant to use social media. Some of them, if at all, are of course, stuck to WhatsApp. I failed to convince them that WhatsApp cannot be termed as a social media in its true sense. Its scope of use as a social media is limited only to interactions in personal level or at best within groups. It lacks features available in many other social media e.g. Facebook or YouTube that give their users the advantage of feeling like that they are in public domain and thus are connecting more or less globally. Most people, in general, refuse to  adapt to changes. It's certainly their choice. I can just share my experience. I have plans to translate my views in vernacular so that it can reach to a wider spectrum of viewers in near future.

Let me first acknowledge that no technology can replace in-person interaction. But digital literacy can be a boon for elder persons, particularly for those who live alone, live away from their children/grandchildren, live with mobility constraints and at the same time want to live independently in old age. It not only makes life smooth, comfortable and easier but also keeps them in the mainstream of the society. 

Technology can enrich senior citizens' lives more ways than one. People everywhere must age with dignity and security, both financial and emotional security. For elderly people digital technology provides the platform for emotional security. Most importantly a digitally-savvy senior is in tune with the times. I personally feel that I live happier and more fulfilled, adapting technology into my daily itinerary. In general, one can independently go about on-line business and will seldom depend on people for help. Of course, for me, these jobs have been outsourced to my son and my daughter-in-law. They do these jobs for us fondly and most optimally in terms of best performance price ratio. The price of on-line offers keep on changing. 

Social networks create a feeling of belonging to a greater community among senior citizens, thus avoid feelings of social and intellectual isolation and also make them feel connected on a large scale. But the social network has its flip side too. Paradoxically, the personal disconnect social media encourages people living in physical proximity. 

Now coming to the social network platforms, there are many social networks but Facebook and YouTube are two top platforms, quite user-friendly. Besides social networks, there is Internet. The entire planet is in your bedroom with infinite features. The Internet offers all, the opportunity to communicate on-line. For home-bound people, the Internet can improve connection with the outside world helping them to gain a level of knowledge on various topics that interest them. I've been using Internet since three decades and I must confess that I've enriched myself immensely using the Internet. After all, it was discovered by a group of scientists and Computer Engineers of Cern laboratory, Geneva, Switzerland, for sharing scientific information among themselves, scattered in different parts of this beautiful planet, Mother Earth, for their collaborative work on physical sciences,  the main Architecht being Tim Berners-Lee, a famous British born Computer Engineer. Gradually Commercial world started using its features and today commercial use of Internet has totally outsmarted its scientific use. To quantify, I think, the scientific use of this modern marvel is just a fraction of a percent, when compared to its use in commerce and industry.