Senior Citizen Americans have adapted to the way of modern technology use, depending on their overall health, income, and education

The older age group of Americans surprisingly use more technology than one might initially think.  Although of course to no comparison of those within the teenage or child age group, who grew up in a predominantly digital age.  However, they have adopted the basic ways of technology such as getting on the internet and having a cell phone.  Technology use amongst senior citizens is based largely on exactly how old the person is, their level of education, and their level of overall mental and physical capability. 

 

Younger seniors with a higher education and income are more likely to use technology, but for different reasons than the younger generation

Seniors cannot all be grouped together, those who make more use of technology are normally younger than the age of 75, which is when technology use drastically falls off.  Even those who are just in their early 70s statistically use the internet and make use of technology more so than those that are 75 and above.  Moreover, about 90% of seniors with an annual household income of $75,000 or more go online and 82% have broadband at home. While those numbers drop 39% going online and 25% having broadband at home when the annual income is at $30,000 or less per year, all according to Pew Research Center.  Those seniors with a college degree are more likely to use go online as oppose to those who do not.  Nonetheless, seniors who go online do so more to read on an e-reader or tablet, rather than a smartphone for social media.  Some do use social networks, but it’s far less than the younger generation of course.  Only 27% of the older adult population use social network sites and these people have more constant communication with those they care about.

 

Although seniors have greatly adapted to new technology, they still fall behind the younger generation in technology adoption

As anyone would probably assume, despite the level of adoption and adaptation the older population has made in regards to technology use, those within a younger age group, particularly adults 18 and older, but younger than 65.  The majority of seniors, regularly use the internet, as well as use a cellphone, although slightly less have a broadband connection.  Several factors influence the use of technology by seniors and the large gap between their use and the use amongst the younger generations.  For one, their physical capabilities, or lack thereof, very often hinder their technology use.  Loss of eyesight keeps older people from using the internet or more high-tech phones because of the reading difficulty.  Additionally, older people, seeing as how they are not a generation that grew up with the same technology as is prominent now, have a harder time adjusting and learning to use the technology of today.  An overwhelming 77% of seniors, as reported by Pew Research Center, said they would need someone to help them and walk them through using newer technologies, such as smartphones.   However, once the older population is able to overcome these obstacles, most times internet and technology use ends up becoming a part of their daily life.