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digital divide. According to the ‘State following ways:
of Seniors’ study by Antara and Access ●Increases feelings of isolation: You may
Media International, 77% of seniors in feel left out if you find it challenging to
India are ‘text-savy’, using smartphones operate tech devices to communicate with
extensively for messaging and chatting. A friends and family.
close 53% use them for work-related tasks. ●Limited entertainment: Navigating
Based on these findings, one thing is streaming platforms could entail a steep
certain: seniors are willing to learn and learning curve. For instance, Forbes
adapt to technological advances. The fact reveals that older participants in a study
that 77% of seniors confidently navigate found that after purchasing streaming
texting on what were once perceived as services (like Netflix), they didn’t
alien-like smartphones is nothing short of understand how to work them.
a marvel. ●Lack of remote medical assistance: If
So, if unwillingness to utilise digital using medical alert devices and smart
technologies isn’t primarily rooted in home equipment becomes challenging as
accessibility issues, what is the root cause? you age in place, your access to remote
Technological companies often lack medical assistance will be limited.
senior-focused resources and training. ●Setting up tech equipment becomes
Plus, their ‘top-down’ design process a herculean task: You may not fully
overlooks the valuable input of older understand user manuals and how-to
adults on interface design. This approach guides due to a lack of familiarity with tech
fails to address seniors’ real-world terminology. According to a Forbes article,
constraints, leading to gradual isolation. one participant describes their experience
Shengzhi Wang of the Design Lab at as,” Trying to hook a printer up to my
the University of California San Diego laptop—they said to put in the IPP [sic IP]
(UCSD) tells Forbes that seniors often address. Uhh, I can’t
became “frustrated” with new technology, ● find it… you know, and things like that, I
making them feel incapable of using it and don’t know what they are talking about.”
uninspired even to try.
Barriers That Stand in the Way of
How Does the Digital Divide Impact Adopting New Technology for Seniors
Seniors? Aside from technological barriers, there
The digital divide can impact seniors in the are other obstacles seniors may face when
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #62 | AUGUST 2024 37
