It A Gas!

After reading Lisa Bistreich’s post concerning the digital divide affecting seniors, I was dismayed after learning about the obstacles Americans over age 65 face in the Information Age.

Seniors  may not have the basic computer skills to fully utilize the Internet. And I suspect they often feel too embarrassed to ask basic computer questions for fear of ridicule.

But the main obstacle, I think, would have to involve the physical use of computers. A large number of seniors experience problems reading text on a screen.

The personal computer can be complex to operate and the variety of programs and applications could prove overwhelming to someone who would like to simply communicate via e-mail, for example.

A study published in the peer-review journal, First Monday, stated:

“We have to keep in mind that the IT sector targets its products to the young and affluent, having in mind a trickle down model from early adopters to the broad public. Product developers do not care very much about the fact that the elderly cannot use tiny mobile telephones very well or that they are unable to decipher icons.”

So what’s the answer? I say designing computers that match the needs of the senior population by offering an ease-of-use computer. My search for such a model proved fruitless, leading me to believe the 34 percent of the 34.5 million Americans over age 65 use the Internet would probably fancy a computer geared toward them.

I want to assure my classmate, Amanda, that blogs and the Internet will not render the existence of newspapers and magazines moot. I hate to use a cliche, but when faced with change, the key is to adapt. And that fact holds true for newspapers, magazines and other traditional media.

A good case study would be The Economist. The publication is enjoying a 107 percent increase in newsstand sales since 2000. The publication has maintained its relevance by focusing its efforts on adding new Web content. Or as my boss says, “by continually feeding the beast.”

John Micklethwait, The Economist’s editor-and-chief, told mediabistro.com his publication is adding more audio files. Publishing a full audio-version of the magazine online (that’s a great idea). Adding more blogs and correspondent diaries. Micklethwait is concerned about the effects the Internet will have on The Economist, which he strangely refers to as a “newspaper.”

“We remain provocatively paranoid about the Internet; you have to be thinking of ways in which you can deal with it. When I first came on I thought of the Internet as this sort of hurricane coming right towards us that had already hit newspapers and now would come to magazines, which were further ashore.”

“But now it seems to be sort of glancing magazines, rather than hitting directly. It’s not true for all magazines — there are some that have been hit quite badly — but the sort of thing that we’re doing at the moment seems to be helping us rather than hurting us, because it’s putting so much more information out there.”

On a smaller scale, The Daily Camera in Boulder, Colo., draws readers to its newspaper and Web content by offering readers a chance to offer comments on every published article. Business Blogger Dave Taylor wrote:

“I think that we in the blogosphere take the back-and-forth of comments for granted, but it’s definitely fresh and exciting on a newspaper site, and it’s frankly wonderful to see the community engage in an ongoing discussion and dialog on the news, be it local, national or global.”