SINGAPORE: Is digitalisation in SG gradually shutting out the older generation? Concerns have arisen online on the older generation feeling left behind as technology becomes an integral part of daily life in Singapore.
The issue was recently brought up by Reddit user kurokamisawa on social media, who questioned the impact of digitalisation on the elderly.
Kurokamisawa’s post read: “My mom just turned 60 and her workplace introduced a new IT platform that she needs to use for work. Mom didn’t even finish primary school so her English comprehension is really limited. Imagine applying those limited comprehension skills on an IT platform with a complex user interface.”
They added, “I wish my mom had taken my advice to spend more time building basic IT skills instead of memorising buttons for the sole purpose of watching Korean dramas but who am I to judge someone who has spent most of her adult life working her ass off and wanting to take it easy in her sixties?”
This sparked a diverse range of opinions.
Lemonade_8891 voiced sympathy for older individuals grappling with tech adaptation but emphasised the importance of the willingness to learn.
He shared his own case study involving his mother and aunt, illustrating their contrasting approaches towards technology. While his mother who was in her early 60s resisted learning, the aunt, who’s in her late 60s, embraced digitalisation. This led him to a conclusion saying, “So you can’t use “OLD” as an excuse,” adding that “they are old but they are not disabled.”
On the other hand, notsocoolnow raised a counterpoint that mental blocks are preventing some seniors from learning. He shared a personal struggle with his mother who has a “tremendously hard time” opening her email because she’s terrified of getting it wrong when “pushing some buttons.”
He said, “My mother has a fear of randomly pushing buttons because she’s terrified of getting it wrong. She’s constantly asking me to teach her but her way of learning (rote memorization) doesn’t work because the steps are too complicated to memorize and sometimes the websites or apps change the layouts. We know how to do it because the systems are designed to be intuitive, but for those whom that intuition does not register it is nightmarish.”
To solve the problem, he said, he makes the effort to make “shortcuts to everything for her, including her Asian dramas.” But the good thing is there is “no way a scammer can get any money from her since she can’t even figure out the app,” he shared.
He pointed out that he doesn’t “expect the world to bend over backwards to accommodate her” since digitalisation is something that has to happen, “but it is important that it is not always pure laziness or arrogance that causes old people to fail to understand it,” he said.
Another user shared that he observed a gender-based trend. The problem is “more common among the old female Ah Ma than the old uncles,” he said.
He shared that his mother and aunty are both unwilling to learn anything sharing his “mom would shriek” at him for “acting smart with her” when he’s just trying to help her cope with day-to-day better.
In contrast, his dad did everything to learn even when he got scammed, broke OLED screen trying to wipe it with wet cloth but still didn’t figure out how to connect WiFi, use the computer or even search movies on YouTube. Appreciating his effort, he added, “but that’s also part of how we grow up to learn as well — the willingness to adapt and try.”
SnooRabbitsS also cited a positive example of his almost 90-year-old grandma adept at using Facebook saying she even knows how to post her own stories.
Qoobator also shared a success story where he convinced his mother of the importance of basic IT skills. Initially reluctant, his mother eventually embraced “setting up online payments, SingPass, and do online shopping.”
“As she’s the only one among her friends and sisters to be this tech savvy and everyone is asking her to help buy things online. She’s a hawker and was one of the first few stalls that was comfortable with accepting qr payments, cdc vouchers, etc at the time,” he added.
The digital divide among seniors has been a concern as Singapore progresses towards a more digital future. However, as observed by Redditors and summed up by Qoobator, “At the end of the day, I think it’s not about the age but willingness to accept new changes and learn new things.”
On the other hand, perhaps Singaporeans, as notsocoolnow did, should also make an effort as “it is not always pure laziness or arrogance that causes old people to fail to understand it.” /TISG
Read also: Is SimplyGo for tech savvy people only? Man says S’poreans should simply go with the flow of changes
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