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While stereotypes still exist about ‘oldies’ being technophobic – and some choose not to engage with digital devices through fear, cost or lack of access to devices – research shows the majority of seniors are active online. A 2020 Victoria University survey of New Zealanders’ internet use reported 90 percent of people aged 65-74 used the internet. That fell to 75 percent in the 75-84 age group and 50 percent among over 85s. UK and US figures are similar.
Another study by InternetNZ showed a third of New Zealanders aged over 70 spent more than four hours a day online, predominantly to monitor emails, read news articles and pay bills. More than half were active on Facebook.
The benefits of being connected are well documented. They include improved mental health, reduced isolation and greater independence. A British study determined older people who use smart phones “have a slower rate of cognitive decline”. But some seniors still report concern about safety and a reduction in face-to-face contact.
We asked some seniors about their online habits.
“The iPad is beside me on the bed. It’s the last thing I look at before I go to sleep and the first thing in the morning.”
Adrienne Osman 74, Auckland
I was married at 18 and we travelled overseas for several years. I had the first of my three children when I was 25 and became a fulltime mother until my husband and I bought an engineering business. I had to use a computer to do wages and administration, but I was very daunted by it.
Later I bought a laptop for my private use and I became much more confident.
It wasn’t until after we sold the business that I became more interested. I bought an iPad which is so much more personal. It was a great way to keep in touch with my younger daughter when she did her OE. When my oldest daughter travelled, we wrote letters or called on a landline.
Now I have three iPads, an iPhone a smart TV, plus Alexa. I always have my mobile with me and if it pings, the nosiness in me means I have to check it. I use the Health app to keep track of my steps.
What other apps do I have? You name it, I’ve got it. I do online banking, supermarket orders. I use my iPad or phone to book entertainment, order library books and shop online. I play games like online jigsaw and Words with Friends (internationally).
I’m on Instagram and have 21 followers. Don’t ask me how because I never post anything. I just like to watch others.
My younger daughter lives in Australia. I keep in touch with her and other family, including grandchildren, through Messenger. That’s the greatest thing ever. I have 100 friends on Facebook. I’m not interested in dating online.
I live alone now and the iPad is always beside me on the bed. It’s the last thing I look at before I go to sleep and the first thing in In the morning,
I would spend at least four or five hours online every day, possibly more.
I sometimes I help others in the village if they are having problems with their devices. Some are frightened to try anything. I say, ‘I was like that too, once.’ If I need help to work something out, I work it out myself.
I’m very aware of scams and I always check email addresses to see if they are legitimate. I’d like to think I’m too savvy to be scammed.
I’ve never used AI or Chat GPT. Sometimes I feel I have enough problems dealing with the real world.
“My priorities are health, wellbeing and creativity. Time spent on digital devices doesn’t contribute to these.”
Dorothy rarely uses a cellphone.
Supplied
I’m originally Canadian but I came to New Zealand in 1970. I met my late husband here.
I have a Masters in Sociology and a Diploma in Counselling. I worked in the university administration for about 19 years where I had the benefit of an excellent computer support team.
But my job was demanding and stressful; the computing work was intense and focused. When I retired in 2008, I was very unwell. I’d had vertigo for four years and I had to learn how to breathe properly. I made a choice not to have a computer in my home.
Cost is another factor. Digital devices and data are expensive and I budget carefully to live within my means.
I go to the library once a week or so to check and send emails or scan something or search for information. I have a landline and a basic flip Nokia phone to text, but it is mainly turned off.
I actively avoid having an online presence.
My priorities are health, wellbeing and creativity. Time spent on digital devices doesn’t contribute to these.
When I come into my house, I have that ‘phew’ feeling. It is very calming. I’m never bored. I listen to RNZ and music. I read. I write a haiku every day, I write songs, notate music on my piano, dance, do yoga and walk.
It can be difficult without technology. So many services are now online. I do phone banking. I do my tax returns on a written form. With other services, I will phone a number to speak to a real person, but you can end up being pointed to a website.
Friends are very tolerant. I don’t tell everyone about my choice. Some may think I’m frail or fearful of technology. I’m not. I’m also not a luddite. I don’t try to persuade others to my way of thinking or campaign against technology. I know its value.
I describe myself as a ‘digital resist-nik’.
I have felt shamed on some occasions. People say, ‘how do you keep up with things? Aren’t you being left behind?’ I’ve been called ‘Dorothy Dinosaur’ in a joking way.
I may change my mind at some later date. Right now, I’m pleased I made this choice. Smart technology seems like a hectic presence. I don’t want that in my life.
“My generation is by nature more trusting, but you have to be wary, which is sad.”
Meemee Phipps, 81, Cambridge
Meemee Phipps
Mary Anne Gill, Good Local Media
I was born in Malaysia, but I went to school in Singapore and studied art and design in England. I wanted to be a lawyer, but my father didn’t think it was appropriate for a girl.
I came to New Zealand in 1966 and met my first husband who was a New Zealander studying geology. We later lived in Japan for five years. My second husband was also a New Zealander. We had two children, a daughter who now lives in Japan and a son who lives in Auckland.
I was a late starter with technology. In the mid-1980s, when I was completing a double major in Chinese and Japanese at the University of Auckland, I bought a small business that supplied supermarkets with herbs, spices and herbal drinks. But I didn’t use a computer while I was married.
In 1988, I bought one for my son, who was 12, to play games on. I bought my first smart phone in 1998.
I have travelled a lot and lived in different countries. When I returned from Italy in 2005, I trained as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher to work in China. They provided us with computers.
Now I have a desktop computer, a laptop, a smart TV I can talk to and a smart phone.
Over the past few years, I have written a trilogy of novels based on Chinese history. The internet is a wonderful resource. When I was writing, I would spend six hours a day on my computer – less now. I have so many interests – art, music, spinning, plus activities at the retirement village where I live. I play the violin in the Trust Waikato Symphony Orchestra.
I use my phone for photos, messages, banking, paying bills and occasionally shopping. I’m not so confident about Temu. A younger friend is going to order some things for me – including a vegetable scraper and a gadget to make meatballs. I love to cook.
I’m on Facebook and Instagram. I don’t post anything, but I love the recipes, the AI illustrations of Donald Trump and the pictures of cute animals.
I use YouTube to learn how to do things like inserting a double zip in a jacket, pruning a fig tree or making naan bread.
Disinformation scares me. I was scammed recently in a fake Post Office email. Fortunately, I didn’t pay anything. My generation is by nature more trusting, but you have to be wary, which is sad. I haven’t activated ChatGPT. It doesn’t have a moral compass.
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