Why Some Older People Are Rejecting Digital Technologies

Fear of making mistakes and broader concerns about their social responsibility are among reasons why seniors are rejecting digital technologies, a new Lancaster University study cited by ScienceDaily reveals. Following interviews with a wide cross-section of older men and women, researchers have discovered that resistance to using digital technologies is not primarily rooted in accessibility issues as widely believed. They determined that personally held values are also major factors holding back technology use among the older demographic. Some have been putting off using online tools because they see them as being arduous and time consuming. Security concerns were especially omnipresent among the older adults polled, with many of them expressing a lack of confidence in their own knowledge of how to properly use Web-based tools properly, in particular online banking. Finally, a strong sense of social responsibility was a major factor underlying many older people's rejection of digital technology. Their chief concern is that online shopping is taking business away from local merchants, threatening the town centers in which they socialize with their friends. They also are worried that if they do not go into the local post office or their bank, they may permanently close and people will lose their jobs.