The Internet & Ageing Consciously
- Adam Duncan
- Jun 11
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 11
Are we powerless in the face of technology?
We depend on the internet to get by in the world. Banking, shopping, navigating, parking are mostly done online.
My grandmother depended on Jimmy the Donkey to go shopping . Parking wasn’t such a problem back then.
Most socialising and entertainment is dependent on our internet connection. To young adults this is just how things are done. It’s completely normal. But it doesn’t come so naturally to those of us who were brought up with land-lines.
My grandmother mostly wrote letters to communicate with the outside world.
Today we can choose between thousands of possible applications to communicate with anywhere in the world through text, audio or video. Perhaps it not surprising that so many of us feel a little overwhelmed by technology?
My father called himself a “silly old fool” because he couldn’t remember the password for his email account. At 97 he is entitled to call himself old, but he’s not silly or a fool.
When we cannot park our car without a smart phone or access services without a password and an email address, it is easy to think we are past it. The internet can undermine our self-confidence unless we are consciously aware of our ageing journey.
My friend (80) is grieving the loss of her partner. She can’t cope with the digital world. She wants everything written on pieces of paper. I fear she is becoming isolated.
The rate of exponential development in technology is being driven by artificial intelligence. It is estimated that 90% of the world's data was generated in the last two years. The unfathomable power of quantum computing is on the horizon and getting closer. Generally speaking it gets harder for us to adapt to any kind of change as we age. There are neurological reasons for this.
Thanks to technology, I can learn, create and communicate without leaving my house. Jimmy the Donkey could only manage a few miles. No doubt my grandmother would have loved to have seen a bit more of the world. To have had more choice at the village shop. To have had more access to knowledge. To Music. To entertainment.
So, are we helpless in the face of technology? We have infinite choice. What we watch. What we buy. What we sign up for. There’s a mass of information and knowledge which can make us busy like never before but we have the power to unsubscribe. We have the choice to breath consciously. To slow down. To connect with reality. To remember what we really want and how we want to be at this time in our lives. With the advance of technology, it takes our inner wisdom and courage to retain our values and stay connected to our humanity.
So, what about you? Do you want to disconnect and run to the hills? Or do you want to find new ways of connecting, so we can change the paradigm around ageing.
Adam Duncan is a Director of Life-Stage Development and author of The Power in Ageing
LIFE-STAGE www.life-stage.org
Life-Stage builds bonds of friendship based on a deeper understanding of the ageing journey. Our monthly events in Brighton focus on finding meaningful connection and purpose in the second half of life. There are many challenges as we age but we have more inner resources than we may realise. Through this on-going programme, we can find the wisdom and courage to age with great confidence. Once we're no longer attached to the past or afraid of the future, we discover new energy and freedom.
