I think we are way past the point of saying that technology is an indispensable and inseparable part of our lives. The pros and cons of the extent of this interweaving can be debated ad nauseam, but the fact remains that usage of technology is only going to keep increasing. Therefore, it then becomes imperative that each one of us is trained to be knowledgeable to the point of not getting excluded – we don’t need to necessarily enjoy using tech, but we shouldn’t be dependent on someone for operating both devices (such as smartphones) and the digital services that run on them (like online banking, e-commerce, email, social media, etc.)
This training need not be formal, i.e. it doesn’t mean enrolling in a course (though there’s nothing wrong in doing so) as there are plenty of tutorials available in the form of articles and videos online. That said, my personal opinion is that digital literacy needs to start at home – typically there’s at least one household member who will know how to operate the devices and services, and can teach other family members – in effect, “each one, teach one” (or more). This is particularly pertinent for older generation family members who may not be tech-savvy. How often have we heard a resigned refrain such as “I don’t know how to do that” or “This is the domain of youngsters” from older people in response to discussions around anything tech-related. However, I’d argue that in the majority of cases, this is a misplaced notion that stems from a lack of support. All too often, curious questions are dismissed with ageist remarks, or the lack of time is cited as an excuse. But all it takes is a little effort and some patience to teach the older members of our families; after all, there is nothing inherently difficult about basic uses of tech. To reinforce learning and to avoid repeated questions (for both parties), it’s a good idea for the list of steps to be written down (either physically or digitally) in simple language. Practice makes perfect, and by having a ready reference to fall back on, the learning process has a higher chance of being successful.
In addition to ageism, there is the subtext of gender disparity – women are more likely to be affected by a lack of access to tech or be discouraged to use it. We need to encourage and empower our mothers, grandmothers and others to be confident using tech gadgets and services, especially those who have traditionally been homemakers. Not only will this help them on a day-to-day basis, it will also increase their confidence in navigating our modern tech-heavy world.
I’m proud to share the transformation of my mother as an example of a success story. As someone who didn’t learn English formally, knowing how to use tech was a steeper learning curve for her (the unfortunate fact is that until recently, support for apps and services in native languages other than English have been quite poor), but in the process she has not only gotten a good grasp of how to deal with tech, but has also dramatically improved her knowledge of English. My sister and I constantly encouraged her to learn the tools of the trade as the tech evolved over the years; from a desktop PC to later laptops, from the early keypad-based mobile phones to the touchscreen-based smartphones and tablets, from bulky manually-operated vacuum cleaners to small agile robotic ones, from boxy CRT TVs to Smart TVs, and various other appliances, devices and apps. She did this with perseverance and determination, improving her skills to the point where my father now often seeks her help with troubleshooting tech-related issues, and to order something online. My confidence in her abilities to resolve problems have resulted in me guiding her, remotely over the phone, to reconfigure the settings of a modem/router from scratch! (and not once but several times)
As we head towards a potential future in which AI dominates and humanoid robots act as helpers in our homes, we need to ensure that everyone in our families is ready and capable of adapting to the changes – to be more tech-resilient in an ever-changing tech world.