Recently, Mashable.com posted a story about a 99-year-old woman’s new experience with the iPad. Virginia Cambell, a 99-year-old woman from Lake Oswego, Oregon, purchased the iPad to access online books. According to reports, Cambell suffers from glaucoma, which affects her eyesight. The video below shows Cambell’s first encounter with the device:
This story really made me start to question the effects of new media and trends on older generations. How do they perceive these new devices? In the video, Cambell appears quite perplexed by her new iPad but delighted at the same time. If given the opportunity and guidance could older generations benefit from devices like the iPad, just like Cambell? It is also brings into question if older generations would accept or reject the advances of new media trends. As a people who grew up with computers and cell phones, most of us tend to be open to new technology. How do kids these days feel about technology? I recall getting our first family computer in 1995 and the excitement of Microsoft Paint. Do kids feel the same excitement about the iPad? Or are they already so jaded to new technological advances? I recently spent time with my friend’s family and learned that his 6-year-old cousin had an iTouch. I must admit that I was a little perplexed and jealous (I’m still rockin’ the original iPod video). But really, a 6 year old with an iTouch?! Makes me wonder what my kids might have one day. On that same thought, it makes you wonder how Cambell might feel about her children’s interaction with new technology (and their children!).
How do you feel? Do you have experiences with family members or friends that have different views on technology?
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So funny that you brought this up! My grandmother suffers from terrible eyesight, and we bought her Amazon's Kindle to see if she would like it. Turns out, the backlight on the device makes reading so much easier for her. I think these new technologies are going to be very beneficial to older generations because of that, as long as they are willing to try something new!
ReplyDeleteI think that Social Media is going to begin reaching older audiences. I mean, in order to be socially connected today, you have to be able to navigate social media sites and devices. The iPhone is a new device, which will i'm sure, replace the cell phone in a not so distant future, like the DVD replaced the VHS. People are going to be forced to learn how to use these devices. This is even more of a requirement for younger generations. I mean yeah, six is a little young for an iTouch, but soon that will be the norm. I guess kids should learn now, because that is what their future entails. It's like learning a language when your young, it really benefits you later in life.
ReplyDeleteMy parents work pretty well with technology but when it comes to social media they are in another world. I had to teach my mom how to use her phone the other day which resulted in her texting me and calling me with questions or showing me how she sent her first picture. I feel that older generations feel that our technology is too hard to use, which it is! If we had not grown up around this emerging advances in technology we would be perplexed too. I can not even imagine what we will think of our grandchild's new hover phone, or robot TV.
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