I was speaking to an elderly person the other day, and the internet came up in conversation. They said that they honestly could not see the point in it, that it was just a fad, they didn’t understand why people use it, and couldn’t see what anyone had to gain from it.
Despite my protestations, I could not make this person understand the importance of the internet. Yet there is a huge amount to gain from the internet for elderly people as well as young people.
For example, there is the ability to keep in touch with people. When Friends Reunited was first created, it was seen as revolutionary, because it enabled people to get in touch with their old school friends, which in some cases they might not have seen or heard from for perhaps as long as 60 years. It was the precursor really to the social media era, when along came sites like MySpace, Bebo and Hi5, before finally Facebook. Because of sites like this, people can now keep in touch with each other much more easily than ever before. Many elderly people now use Facebook and other such sites as a way of keeping in touch with their friends and relatives, catching up with people that they haven’t seen or heard from for years and viewing photos and videos. In short, as people become less able to get around with ease, the internet helps to make sure that they are still able to keep in touch and not lonely. An email will get there in seconds, whilst a letter would have taken weeks.
Then there are such issues as being able to buy products online, to browse through online shops without having to try to get from shop to shop on the high street – often a daunting enough task for those of us who are able bodied, but as we get older it becomes even harder to get round shopping malls, high streets and supermarkets. So, for example, if the prospect of going up and down each aisle at the supermarket seems daunting, there is the option to shop online through your favourite supermarket. At Christmas, mega online stores such as Amazon mean you can search for and buy Christmas presents without having to battle through the Christmas rush. In fact, the internet can be used to buy all sorts of things, so you can go to www.carbatterywarehouse.co.uk and order a new car battery, sent next day delivery if your car goes wrong, or submit photos to specialist websites and get personalised cards printed. Because of the internet, the world is your oyster when it comes to shopping. You can even buy things from all over the world, greatly expanding your scope. With sites such as Ebay, it also means you can sell your belongings easily if you want to make more space.
Then of course there is the educational factor. With the internet you have access to informative sites, such as the free encyclopaedia Wikipedia, a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, blogs, dictionaries, books, articles and whatever else might take your fancy. With online search engines such as Google and Bing, all you have to do is type something into the search box and you have your answer within seconds. For entertainment, facilities such as the iPlayer on the BBC means that you can catch up on any of your favourite programs that you missed, by downloading them quite easily. In short, the internet can be quite life changing, and make life so much easier.
Despite my protestations, I could not make this person understand the importance of the internet. Yet there is a huge amount to gain from the internet for elderly people as well as young people.
For example, there is the ability to keep in touch with people. When Friends Reunited was first created, it was seen as revolutionary, because it enabled people to get in touch with their old school friends, which in some cases they might not have seen or heard from for perhaps as long as 60 years. It was the precursor really to the social media era, when along came sites like MySpace, Bebo and Hi5, before finally Facebook. Because of sites like this, people can now keep in touch with each other much more easily than ever before. Many elderly people now use Facebook and other such sites as a way of keeping in touch with their friends and relatives, catching up with people that they haven’t seen or heard from for years and viewing photos and videos. In short, as people become less able to get around with ease, the internet helps to make sure that they are still able to keep in touch and not lonely. An email will get there in seconds, whilst a letter would have taken weeks.
Then there are such issues as being able to buy products online, to browse through online shops without having to try to get from shop to shop on the high street – often a daunting enough task for those of us who are able bodied, but as we get older it becomes even harder to get round shopping malls, high streets and supermarkets. So, for example, if the prospect of going up and down each aisle at the supermarket seems daunting, there is the option to shop online through your favourite supermarket. At Christmas, mega online stores such as Amazon mean you can search for and buy Christmas presents without having to battle through the Christmas rush. In fact, the internet can be used to buy all sorts of things, so you can go to www.carbatterywarehouse.co.uk and order a new car battery, sent next day delivery if your car goes wrong, or submit photos to specialist websites and get personalised cards printed. Because of the internet, the world is your oyster when it comes to shopping. You can even buy things from all over the world, greatly expanding your scope. With sites such as Ebay, it also means you can sell your belongings easily if you want to make more space.
Then of course there is the educational factor. With the internet you have access to informative sites, such as the free encyclopaedia Wikipedia, a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, blogs, dictionaries, books, articles and whatever else might take your fancy. With online search engines such as Google and Bing, all you have to do is type something into the search box and you have your answer within seconds. For entertainment, facilities such as the iPlayer on the BBC means that you can catch up on any of your favourite programs that you missed, by downloading them quite easily. In short, the internet can be quite life changing, and make life so much easier.
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