Everywhere she goes, she carries her phone and asks for help using the device. She is not alone. My mom and I giggle over stories of others who do the same! Even as she flashes it, she gets the indulgent " Do you need this at your age? Why did you not settle for something simpler? " A logical question. However, the answer is not straightforward I realize. It slowly dawns on me that it is not about using a smart phone at all. It is about not wanting to be left out of this virtual world that holds the younger generation captive and through which they communicate to the exclusion of all other modes. There is fear that not fitting in and using these channels means becoming even more irrelevant! I empathize. As I enter my fifties I hear from my daughter's generation that Facebook and other apps I use are passé. I have no time to enquire and fear being left in the dust! It could be me in her shoes soon! I love my aunt and her generation's youthful exuberance and courage embracing and tackling the complex world of smart phones and am determined to help at least one among them ease their anxiety over the use of their device by teaching her the little I know!
Thursday, February 4, 2016
India's new smart phone generation
Everywhere she goes, she carries her phone and asks for help using the device. She is not alone. My mom and I giggle over stories of others who do the same! Even as she flashes it, she gets the indulgent " Do you need this at your age? Why did you not settle for something simpler? " A logical question. However, the answer is not straightforward I realize. It slowly dawns on me that it is not about using a smart phone at all. It is about not wanting to be left out of this virtual world that holds the younger generation captive and through which they communicate to the exclusion of all other modes. There is fear that not fitting in and using these channels means becoming even more irrelevant! I empathize. As I enter my fifties I hear from my daughter's generation that Facebook and other apps I use are passé. I have no time to enquire and fear being left in the dust! It could be me in her shoes soon! I love my aunt and her generation's youthful exuberance and courage embracing and tackling the complex world of smart phones and am determined to help at least one among them ease their anxiety over the use of their device by teaching her the little I know!
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1 comment:
Yes. Help them in mastering Smart phone use. With GPS and various Apps, it is a must for elderly people.
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