Keeping up with technology

 

Today I video chatted with my sister in England through Facebook and it didn't cost me a dime. Who would have thought of that when I first moved to the USA and paid $1 per minute for a landline call-in the middle of the night! Technology changes fast! Some people find the speed of change and the new possibilities exhilarating, and some find it scary. Whichever you are, a nerd or a technophobe, change is a part of modern life and you ignore it at your peril! My mother marveled at the changes she had seen in her lifetime, from early radio to men on the moon, but as she got older, she became afraid of technology. My mother was an opinionated woman and, if she didn't see the point of something, you could not persuade her to learn it!  She is not alone, but what I've found more recently is that a lot of seniors are hungry to understand the technology that can connect them to their far-flung grandchildren! That doesn't mean it comes easily to them but they are more than willing to put in some effort if given a little guidance.

The Westosha Senior Center, where I lead my photography classes, has another class called "Tech Connect". It is wildly popular, covering topics from email, to Facebook, to how to avoid being scammed. I have been asked to speak at the August meeting, on the subject of "Taking better photographs with your smartphone", so I attended the July meeting to see what it was all about. The subject was Facebook, and skills ranged from "never had an account" to "being scammed by fake friends". The seniors asked a lot of questions as the leader walked them through security and what to put in your profile, and those who "got it" helped the others. It was both interactive and cooperative! 

I am sure they will have just as many questions for me. What is important to older people?  Is it pictures of family and taking selfies that shave off a few pounds? Or is it how to print those pictures and back them up safely? I have a plan but I suspect I will have to be prepared to pivot, just as the Facebook teacher did. 

Technology is as important to our senior population as it is to the rest of us. With more and more billing going on line only, and information available "on our website", classes like this serve a valuable purpose! Not every senior has a tech-savvy grandchild to help them.  Not to mention the satisfaction of doing it yourself instead of waiting for help! 

Note: In the interest of embracing technology, I used AI to generate a picture for this piece. Look how happy and excited our "Senior Woman" is to use her laptop!