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Introduction Think about Seniors in Cyberspace... what comes into your mind? Perhaps the words, yeah, right? If so, you are not alone. Many people, including the elderly themselves, believe that seniors are technophobic's, defined as those who can't even program their VCRs, much less use a computer or even begin to understand how to navigate the World Wide Web.
However, times are changing. More and more elderly people are using the Internet. In fact, they are the fastest growing Internet user group (Sorenson 1997). There are many different reasons for the rapid expansion of this group, as I will discuss later in this paper. But one that seemed to be extremely prevalent was to keep in touch with their grandchildren and to learn the same things their grandchildren were learning about in regard to computers and the Internet. Computer companies are beginning to realize that the elderly population is a growing market.
However, the elderly themselves realized they needed more help learning and understanding the Internet long before the computer companies did, and they have created hundreds of sites to aide in that process, some of which I will discuss later. I will also turn my attention to the possible health and social benefits the Internet can provide for the elderly. There is very little study done on this subject, but the ones that have been completed are hopeful that keeping the mind active through Internet usage will provide some long term effects. Facts and Figures A survey done by Senior Net, a national nonprofit organization, finds that overall computer ownership among adults aged 55 to 75 is 30 %. In July of 1994 the percentage was 21. This means that there has been a dramatic increase of 43 % in just 16 months.
Senior Net also estimates that computer use among the elderly has grown by 15 % each year since 1990 (Adler, However, at this time senior citizens make up only 1 % of all Internet users. But perhaps the most surprising statistic is that senior citizens, on average use the computer more hours per week than any other group. Seniors average 12 hours per week, compared to male adults and college students averaging 9, female adults and teenagers averaging 7 and kids under 13 averaging 5 hours per week (Online 1996). Now many may think that is because most senior citizens are retired and have more time to give to the computer than the other groups, but the belief of technophobia in seniors needs to be taken into account also. Surveys taken among computer users between early 1994 and 1996 show that more and more seniors are learning to overcome their supposed technophobia as they take classes to become computer literate. They also show that seniors are using the Internet to start business, help the business they are in and promote themselves as modern.
It seems that most seniors start using the Internet because their grandchildren are learning it and they feel left out or because their grandchildren live so far away and they wanted to be able to use email to talk with them. Whatever the reason, the elderly are getting over their fear of technology. One of these surveys taken by Senior Net, conducted in November 1995 found that among all adults who own home computers those between ages 55 to 75 own 30 % of them and those 75 or older own 23 % of all the home PCs. Education also plays a role in the number of seniors owning computers.
Of those who are college graduates, 53 % of them own a computer. 28 % of these computer owners regularly use an online service and 65 % of online users accessed the Internet in the past month (Wrixon 1997). These figures show that seniors are not as technophobic as we all have assumed and been led to believe. The Senior Net suspects that the reason seniors have been stigmatized as technophobic stems from an 1980 survey that indicated that corporate senior managers avoided computers, delegating clerical tasks, such as word processing, and answering email to their secretaries and lower level employees. However, it seems that once these tasks that are considered more secretarial than managerial are excluded, seniors are as likely as anyone to Perhaps one of the turning points for seniors to overcome their fear of technology, was the improvement of computers. Computers are much more user-friendly now. Netscape and Microsoft browsers offer simple point and click overlays for the Internet, making it extremely easy to surf the Web.
Most service providers offer simple windows, bars and pull down windows that are easy to understand and only take the click of a mouse. Also, there are new devices and software for those who have disabilities. The mouse is wonderful for people with conditions such as arthritis, who find it painful to type. There are also Braille keyboards, voice recognition, enlarged monitors and large type that help overcome some of the disabilities that seniors may experience. There has been a study done that also looks at possible health benefits that occur with Internet usage for senior citizens. This study was noted in Forbes Magazine and it showed the health benefits that occur with Internet use.
Psychologist Jasmin McConatha found that after 6 months on-line, the senior groups mean score rose 14 % on a cognitive ability test that was part of the Geriatric Depression Scale (Sorenson 1997). So far, it seems that senior usage is growing at astronomical rates, compared with other age groups. The more studies done, such as the one discussed in Forbes magazine, and the more user-friendly computer and computer equipment companies make, the more likely seniors will use computers and the Internet. Sites for Seniors The foremost site for seniors on the Internet is Senior Net. Senior Net is a national nonprofit organization that provides adults 55 and older with information and instruction about computer technologies. Senior Net was started as a research project in 1986 and was incorporated in 1990 as an independent nonprofit organization.
Senior Net also offers computer classes designed for older adults around the United States. These classes are held at Senior Net Learning Centers and are run by volunteers. Senior Net also holds national conferences and conducts research on the uses of technology by older adults. Many computer related companies fund Senior Net, proving that the senior population is expanding because computer companies would not spend money on a population that did not use their products. There are many other sites...
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