Keith Richardson
Thanks to the the folks at the Newton Seniors Centre Computer Club for your warm reception last month. Thanks again to June and Alan for inviting me and to Norm and others for helping with the set up!
Only one reply to February’s request for feedback on social networking. In case you missed them, the two questions, briefly, were: 1. Do you use social networking (Facebook and/or Twitter, for example), and if so, how? 2. Is social networking changing the way society interacts, or is society changing such that social networking is required?
Keith W-B wrote to say: “Here’s our cynical, jaundiced view: we have not got into any of that (although we are fairly techno-savvy) for three main reasons: 1. we can’t cope with any more gadgets or technology in our lives, and we’d prefer to avoid any costs involved; 2. we frankly don’t trust them – with some justification, it seems. We are afraid of data-mining by the companies or agents or hackers. 3. we don’t approve of some of the uses that the media is put to so would rather not be associated with it. We realise that this concern is true of the internet, but we really don’t have a choice in that now…. Keep up the good work.”
There is an abundance of evidence of a growing disparity among generational groups in our use of hi-tech communication. The Pew Institute, Feb. 3, issued an online report, Generations and their gadgets “…based on a daily tracking survey on Americans’ use of the Internet…. on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between August 9 and September 13, 2010, among a sample of 3,001 adults, age 18 and older. ”
The “generations” Pew identifies are the Millennials (born 1977-1993); Generation X (b. 1965-1976); Younger Boomers (1955-1964); Older Boomers (1946-54); the Silent Generation (1937-1945) and the G.I. Generation (born before 1937). I’ll leave it to you to decide if these divisions are appropriate and useful.
The Pew document claims that: “Cell phones are by far the most popular device among American adults. Some 85% of adults own [them], and 90% of all adults-including 62% of those age 75 and older-live in a household with at least one working cell phone. Desktop computers are most popular with adults ages 35-65, and Millennials are the only generation that is more likely to own a laptop computer or netbook than a desktop: 70% own a laptop, compared with 57% who own a desktop. Almost half of all adults own an iPod or other mp3 player, but these are still most popular with Millennials-74% of adults ages 18-34 own an mp3 player, compared with only 56% of the next oldest generation, Gen X (ages 35-46). Game consoles are uniformly popular with all adults ages 18-46, 63% of whom own these devices. Overall, 5% of adults own an e-book reader, and 4% own an iPad or other tablet computer. Additionally, about 9% of_ adults do not own any of the devices we asked about, including 43% of adults age 75 and older.”
Around the same time, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology announced new fitness guidelines for Canadians “based on four years of research analysis by dozens of fitness experts and physiologists” that “ease some of the pressure on Canadians” by no longer call[ing] for daily activity of 60 minutes a day but instead recommend[ing] that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. That exercise can come in small bouts, of 10 minutes or more.”
“Older adults – now defined as those over the age of 65 — are also urged to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week rather than the previous recommendation of 30 to 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days.” According to a CTV report, “many reacted with anger to [the guidelines], saying that calling for less daily exercise from Canadians would send the wrong message.
Don’t you think there is a connection between the increase in our use of hi-tech communication that ties us to our machines–and our decreasing level of fitness, especially among those most embracing the h-tc? Obesity is endemic among our oldest and youngest generations. If anyone can lead the way in promoting healthier lifestyles, it may be those of us dubbed “seniors.”
In April, more on the divides, and where we’re headed!