TECHNOLOGY TO GROW OLD WITH – OR NOT
Ever had to help Grandma with the new GPS you got her for Christmas? Or help Great Aunt Trudy set up her new surround sound system? Today’s technology is much more sophisticated than it was fifty years ago. My grandmother always says things like, “Back in my day, we didn’t have television. We read books and listened to the radio,” or “we wrote letters instead of gabbing on the phone for hours.” Yet my grandma’s generation decided to pick up on all of the twenty-first century gadgets. And the fact is, older generations do not mix well with today’s technology.

One Sunday in church, the congregation was in silent prayer, when we were interrupted by an obnoxious ringtone. I, and about half of the people in the room, looked up to see an older woman fumbling with her cellular device. Seconds ticked by, and she still hadn’t gotten it to turn off. Finally, she hobbled out of the room, and we heard it turn off outside. Satisfied that it wouldn’t happen again, she retook her seat in the pew. But moments later, the same phone began blaring once again. Honestly, how hard is it to push ‘end’, or have it on silent in the first place?

Do you ever see the elderly in sports cars? Probably not, because it just isn’t in their nature and getting one would be pointless. Why would a senior citizen who has a functioning car get a new Mercedes Benz when they are only planning on driving ten miles an hour anyway?

A senior citizen with a cell phone is like a caveman with a lighter. Not such a good match.

“The elderly should stay with their own time,” says Elizabeth Anderson, a student who has experienced multiple elderly vs. technology dilemmas. “It will make everyone’s lives easier, including theirs.”
It isn’t like some people don’t have the ability to work a computer or phone, they give up too quickly! I learn to use technology by experimenting and messing around with it. I teach myself. My mother on the other hand, barely knows how to turn on the TV or change her phone’s ringtone. I have to go through it with her step-by-step every time.

“Whether you're 17 or 70, you can learn to deal with new technology. It's just a matter of believing you can do it and then putting in the time and effort,” John Hawkins, a blogger on www.rightwingnews.com, explains. “Old people tend to be bad at learning new technology because they believe that they're supposed to be bad at learning new technology. That's it.”

We, as teenagers, were born into a world of technology, while older people were introduced to it after living most of their lives without it. It seems like a lot of them can’t get used to it, or else they just refuse to.
The older generations could function perfectly when high-tech devices didn’t exist, so why can’t they now? The answer is simple; the world is changing very quickly. Record players and decent radio stations are becoming very rare. Grandkids and friends are also struggling to find means of modern communication with those who may not pick up on today’s techniques. This provokes the elderly to invest in cell phones and computers in order to stay in touch.
This generation’s senior citizens are constantly battling their enemy; technology. I say, stop battling and start living, because there isn’t much time left.