Embracing Technology for Boomers

TECHNO-ISH

By Stacia Fernandez, Middle (St)age on Stage17.tv

I applaud you for being on this website!   You are here to keep yourself current and explore the vast land of the Internet.     You are the exception for our generation and not the rule.   You should pat yourself on the back for that.  Go ahead.    I’ll wait.

I will be preaching to the choir just a bit.   But choir?   Our work here is not done.   There are so many people our age who innocently are helping Boomers slide into obscurity, instead of doing what you are doing.   Staying viable.   Remaining and excelling in the flow of where our society actually lives.

We all know people our age and older who aren’t as adventurous as we are.   Those people who still have a rotary phone mentality.   Or, the folks who might use their computers to play Sudoku and look at cat videos, or look up the name  for what ails them and end up heading to the emergency room because of a typo.

Boy are they missing out!

There is so much in this vast territory to help us, teach us, and keep us current that  we have to encourage our siblings,  friends and cohorts to dive in.   We can become just as Techo-Ish as we allow ourselves.    And let’s face it, the more we embrace it, the more BOOMERS can take over the world!   (cue sinister laugh).

I have two examples of how important the internet and technology is as we get a little older.    These are true stories.

A man.   84 years old.   A feted and published scholar with a  PHD in Communications, retired and completely refuses to learn how to use a computer.    He won’t even turn one on.  Did I mention he was stubborn?   And therefore, barely stays in touch with family and friends,  and has now grown fearful of travel or even investigating other options to keep his brilliant mind busy.   His world has narrowed, to say the least.

A woman.   84 years old.   Picked out and bought herself a computer.     She spends about an hour on it a day.   She plays tournament bridge online.    She researches places she has always been curious about.   She looks up the genealogy of her family.   This woman feels that she is learning something new every day.  She even decided to get out and volunteer after seeing a call to action online.  She is also pretty darned facile at texting and hears from and communicates with her grandchildren all the time via email, and text.  Maybe Instagram is next?   Who knows because her world gets bigger every day.

Let’s ask ourselves and our loved ones, which one of these folks would we like to become when we grow up?

Let’s do it together.   Let’s keep up.   Let’s show the kids not only do we still “have it”  but they better watch out because we “have it” and we’re not afraid to use it.!

About: Stacia Fernandez

Stacia  is starring in a web series called Middle (St)age on Stage17.tv.  The second season is All about Embracing Technology and the entire series, including the first season, can be seen on Stage17.tv.  Middle (St)age is written by Ms. Fernandez and her co-­writer/director Jacob Pinion

 

Category: Blog