Are pre-boomers living in the now?
Most folks 65+ think they have a lifestyle that is in step with today’s society. We own a digital camera, have a cell phone and use the computer with some degree of success. This gives us a false feeling of being part of the modern world when in reality we New Seniors may be two steps behind everyone else.
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A recent article in the Huffington Post written by Bianca Bosker talked about the 20 things that became obsolete in the past decade. Included in the list were VCRs and video tapes, travel agents, separating work life from personal life, bookstores, maps, newspaper classified ads and fax machines. This broad range of items all made the list because of technological advancements. People don’t think much about them they simply have adjusted their lives to accommodate these changes.
For New Seniors some of the adjustments are more difficult to accept. We grew up in a world of change. Television became popular in our lifetime. Jet travel was in its infancy when we were still young. We were thrilled to watch a man land on the moon and benefited from the science that made this possible. And it wasn’t that long ago that cell phones and computers became available to the general public, although New Seniors welcomed cell phones we were slower to adapt to computers.
Now, we fight the speed and intensity with which some things pass out of vogue. Having to make reservations online rather than being able to talk with a human being is not always satisfactory. Computers were supposed to allow people to have more free time instead we take work home and end up being on call 24/7. And, an online purchase of a book does not provide feed the senses in the way browsing around a bookstore can.
Young people don’t need watches; their cell phones provide the exact time. Phones to them are hand-held computers; that’s why they call them Smart Phones. Calling is out and texting is in. Are you texting? Have you ever tried it? Is your phone also your camera? It is to them. The trend is to drop land lines completely and have a mobile phone as the only point of contact. How many New Seniors would consider doing that?
Chances are you still have some video tapes at home, go to the encyclopedia for information, read the daily newspaper, let your fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages, leaf through catalogs and send handwritten letters. If you do you’re not as contemporary as you think, because all these are on the list of 20 things that became obsolete in the 10 years since the millennium.
If you still use and like some of the old ways, don’t let that stop you. Some may say you are not on the cutting-edge, but the truth is you are a traditionalist. And without people such as you there would be no traditions. Thank goodness for New Seniors.
Seems to me that we older folks, having lots of life experience (and hopefully, greater wisdom), are better able to weigh the pros and cons of adapting new technology. Before jumping onto a “new gadget bandwagon,” we’re likely to ask, “How might I use it and how will it benefit me?” Bill
Bill Birnbaum´s last blog ..What are You Doing that’s Different