Technology and the aging
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 02:03PM This is not going to be profound, although that topic could actually be a really good one. I think someone who is an expert should write it. It won't be me, obviously. This is just one of those meaningless posts that interests no one but me. These thoughts were rumbling around in my head while I did the task I like least (after cleaning the bathroom, that is) and that is buying groceries. I like eating, and I like cooking, but I hate shopping. I basically endure it. I was thinking about this topic as I shopped. When I came home, it seemed like all three pets in this house were in full scale revolt, so now it's time for a little sit down.
Yesterday, was my husband's birthday. I bought him an iPod. Now, my husband at one time knew a lot about technology. He still knows a fair bit, but not like he did when he worked for IBM. He knows a whole lot more than I do, though. He has a huge chip on his shoulder about Apple products and he pretends he doesn't understand them, but he managed to figure out the iPod without too much trouble. This is a guy who has three screens on at once when he's working at home at night. I think he does it because deep down, he wants to be Captain Kirk and it makes him feel special. They just take up a lot of room, and I occasionally have to move them to dust around them.
He gets attached to his techno toys. Case in point: the BlackBerry Bold. And I don't mean the new one with a touch screen. The thing is a dinosaur. But he continues to use it even though he could get a new one. I think he's hanging on to it because it has his music on it. Now, the issue of music is a whole other ball game, so I'm not going to even mention it here. Let's just put it this way: I'm still open to listening to my son's music while he's rapidly approaching The Lawrence Welk Crowd. For his birthday, I not only purchased an iPod, I put music on it from my iTunes. I chose things that I thought he would like, but no, there was no Englebert Humperdinck. There won't ever be on my iTunes. I'd rather listen to Justin Bieber or Shania Twain .... wait..... okay, I'm exaggerating. Englebert would be preferred over those two wonderful Canadian icons.
Anyway, my husband was very happy with his gift. He still can't tell the difference between Switchfoot and Mat Kearney, but hopefully after he listens to them, he'll know. I also put on some Bach, which I know he likes, and I have lots of other things he can try if he wants. There is a modest 239 songs on there right now, but there is a lot of room for more. What was funny, though, is that he was more intrigued with the ability of the iPod to get the radio. Yes, that's right, the radio. When he told my daughter that, she thought he was just an old fogey. Who listens to the radio anymore?
My husband and I are from the generation who sat in front of the Top Forty countdown on weekends. Well, I did it, anyway. My husband basically lived under a rock when he was a child and was only ever exposed to southern gospel until he was a teenager. I listened to the radio a lot. I don't anymore unless I'm in the car. If I want local news and weather, I just visit the local station's website. My kids will never look back with nostalgia about what radio station they listened to, or listening to the music countdown, but they probably will look back at the sites they liked visiting. They may even look back five years from now at things that have gone by the wayside; that's just the way technology works these days.
My parents are in their 70's. My father, because he was a businessman had to adapt to changes before his retirement. His part-time consulting work after his early retirement meant knowing how to use the internet, email and all that fun stuff. My mother still does not know (or, so she says) how to turn on the computer. My dad e-mails me and he often sends me funny YouTube videos, but my mother insists on not partaking of that. When I recently shared with her how my favourite aunt (and my daughter's namesake) had just learned how to use e-mail and how happy I was about that, I received a five minute lecture about the evils of technology. This is crazy to me, because I know she could learn to use it. My mother-in-law uses it all the time. She even has Facebook. Now, my father-in-law thinks he knows how to use all of that stuff, and he tries, but it would be better if he didn't tweet. As long as he can access his computer banking, I think he's okay.
I cannot help but wonder how it is for folks even older than I am to adapt to the quickly changing technology. I was having lunch with a woman recently, a woman about 70 years old. We were talking about her grandson's schooling and she has the notion that he'll get a job and stay with a company until retirement. That is unlikely, although I didn't say that to her. Young people just don't do that anymore, and it's because work environments are changing so rapidly. What is it like to be 70 years and see such changes? I am surprised myself at how fast things have changed even in five years. It must be unsettling.
I hope I am able to keep up in some measure. My kids all have way more technological savvy than I do, and that's okay with me. I don't play games online and I pay for my music, but they are so involved in the online world for how they get news, entertainment and even purchase things. It's a big change.
So, there is my husband with this little tiny squre thing called an iPod with which he can tap into a huge array of things and a massive amount of music. And what is he the most excited about? The radio. When I texted my older son at school and told him about that, he thought that was pretty funny. The other night, my husband wanted to listen to some disco music from his BlackBerry, and he was only prevented from it because I wanted the television. I wonder how many oldies stations he can get on that thing. I'm thankful for headphones.
Reader Comments (1)
I'm with hubby. I love my iPod touch especially because of the radio. And email. So much so that my next phone will definitely be an iPhone.