More Boomers Are Online Today Than Ever Before

It’s a much-beloved stereotype – seniors who are not only anti-tech but also very bad at using it. We’ve all seen funny memes with seniors making silly mistakes with technology. Go to the movies, and you’re bound to see a bumbling senior or two making their rounds as well.

But how accurate is this picture really? According to statistics put together by Dr. Nikola Djordjevic on behalf of Med Alert Help, the truth is very different.

Seniors Are Getting Tech Savvy

You can check out all the interesting statistics gathered in the infographic below. As you’ll see, 82% of seniors use the internet to look up information.

You’ll also learn that baby boomers spend, on average, 27 hours every week online. That’s just under four hours a day. So that does debunk the theory that seniors are helpless online.

What’s Changed Then?

Sure, it can be difficult to adapt to technological changes. My grandmother, until she died, was terrified of the microwave and wouldn’t go near it. But then she also came from an era where you covered your mirrors if there was lightning about.

But that was a good thirty years ago. If she were still alive today, she’d probably battle a lot with using mobile phones, etc. And, when I think back to my grandmother, the stereotype of the senior paralyzed by technology makes sense.

But, time has moved on. The baby boomer generation, the one responsible for the start of the digital age, mostly falls under the over-sixty category. And, while technology has advanced far beyond most people’s wildest imaginations, these are people who grew up in an age where advances in tech were considered a symbol of national pride.

Which means that these are not some shrinking violets for whom new tech is a completely foreign tech, but rather a bunch of curious adults that are more than capable of learning how to press a few keys.

Not convinced? Let’s set you a quick bit of homework. It won’t take you long. Google how old Bill Gates is. Is there a universe in which you’d view Bill Gates as being tech-averse? However, at 63 years old, Bill is no spring chicken and also firmly in the senior’s category.

Gets you thinking, doesn’t it? Maybe poking fun at your mom for asking a stupid question about the internet is not as funny as you think, is it? Overall, seniors are a lot more capable when it comes to computers and the internet than most people realize.

They’ve Had to Become Savvy

Think of all the numerous tasks that we go online to perform nowadays. We can do our banking online, run internet searches, book tickets, communicate with our families, etc. There world wide web has made life a lot more convenient for all of us.

And seniors do appreciate convenience. Why go and stand in a long queue at the bank to draw money to pay your electricity bill when all you need to do is take a couple of minutes and complete the transfer online? Online shopping is also extremely convenient for seniors that might have transport or mobility issues.

The fact is that seniors are not always the first adopters of new tech, but, if they find that it will be useful for them, they will learn how to use it.