Reaction: The Forgotten Digital Divide

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.