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The Forum > Article Comments > Older people need the internet too > Comments

Older people need the internet too : Comments

By Susan Ryan, published 25/11/2013

Research in 2011 found the key barriers preventing seniors from using the internet were a lack of skills, confusion by technology, and concerns about security and viruses.

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The internet is neither age friendly or unfriendly. It just is. If older people motivated themselves to learn something new, there would be no need to write articles like this.

The world is turning and those who help themselves, do best. A far more hard hitting article would be marrying age and online ignorance with the pending fiscal gap.
Posted by Malcolm 'Paddy' King, Monday, 25 November 2013 10:12:36 AM
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"[Becoming] confident and competent internet users" is a human right?

What a load of utter tosh.

Any intelligent person, of any age, can master the basics in fifteen minutes, and can learn the rest simply from exposure to the medium. It is not difficult, and it is an insult to the older folk to suggest that it is. Only SIFs and rent-seekers would think otherwise.
Posted by Pericles, Monday, 25 November 2013 11:05:08 AM
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I am older but not ancient. I do ,just, fall into the mentioned age category.

I use the Internet extensively as does my wife and the vast bulk of her friends . We live in country Tasmania , nowadays , but previously in Brisbane.

Certainly some of our friends don't use the net as in Emails.. forget Tweeting and Facebook, our generation thinks that those two are rubbish !

The ones who avoid the Net use Telephones, read Newspapers or drop in on friends either by arrangement or not. At the end of the day they are all forms of communication and acquisition of knowledge

My experience shows that the vast bulk of people aged around 70 regularly use the Net. Over that , frankly they aren't greatly interested AND.... wait for it... They believe that they can live without it ! It’s all about choice

Choice is a strong belief in Baby Boomers
Posted by Aspley, Monday, 25 November 2013 11:33:29 AM
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I agree Pericles.

My mother learnt the internet basics at work at 65 years old.
Then she proceeded to teach the others at work, and her children.

She was the first in our family to purchase a home computer.
Now, at 83 years old, she is still going strong on her computer!
Posted by Suseonline, Monday, 25 November 2013 11:37:01 AM
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this internet age is just in transition to something else, maybe telepathy?
I learned touch typing at age 24, got to 55wpm, and have hardly used it any more, back to the Columbus method.
I learned to use a slide rule at age 28 working as an observer for the weather bureau, but where can you find a slide rule these days, pray tell?
Don't tell me the internet is going to make my life better, easier and fuller: there are enough scammers, hucksters and standover merchants online and I have enough on my plate keeping them off the line.
Posted by SHRODE, Monday, 25 November 2013 11:56:49 AM
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Just to clarify, the reference I made to SIFs earlier on was to Single Issue Fanatics - that is, people who see everything in the light of their own personal obsession.

>>Only SIFs and rent-seekers would think otherwise.<<

Apologies to anyone who thought I meant Secret Internet Fatties.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sif

Who knew?
Posted by Pericles, Monday, 25 November 2013 12:11:19 PM
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