The pros and cons of technology on adults
KD and Ashton
January 23,2024
Research has shown that there are many pros to technology developing the way it has been. It has been shown that the use of the internet helps take away the risk of dementia.
"Regular internet use has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia because it helps improve cognitive functioning and memory skills.” Said by community tech network a business dedicated to helping older adults with digital literacy. Every time an older adult completes a sudoku puzzle online or crossword online, they’re keeping their brain sharp. Learning new technological skills — whether it be figuring out how to use a health portal or post a video on TikTok — also improves mental acumen.
With the pros, there will always be cons. One is the fact that for older adults it might be hard to keep up with all the new improvements of tech. They're not used to all the rampant progression in the use of technology for things like going to the market, buying things, and a lot of things that you use to have to do in person being online now. They might need some help with it by younger people.
“I see a lot of other people kind of sometimes get lost in the technology, advancing like, for instance, my parents. I found some stuff that can be kind of used beyond just like opening it up to make a phone call or using or streaming video. They need some help.” Said Mr. Otto a teacher at E&S “Some people aren't used to having all these different technology things that adults use all the time. It's expected sometimes I think the kids can use them in the same capacity. And I think sometimes it's hard for kids for older people to kind of keep up”
Another pro would be all the conveniences it gives them it allows them to quickly search for something up and go back to the original task with no problem.
“A lot of times it just makes me more efficient at what I'm doing. If I can ask my phone or Alexa to remember something for me or to Google this then I don't have to turn my immediate attention away to you know, try to research it myself. So I appreciate it” Said Ms Wardlaw A Chem teacher at E&S
Adding on to the last con research shows that Seniors or older adults have a multitude of things that make it harder for them to use technology. Like physical conditions that make it harder for them to do many things, some of them don't want to evolve and want to stay how they were, and some aren't versed with technology.
“Many seniors have physical conditions or health issues that make it difficult to use new technologies. Around two in five seniors indicate that they have a “physical or health condition that makes reading difficult or challenging,” said Pew Research Center “A significant majority of older adults say they need assistance when it comes to using new digital devices. Just 18% would feel comfortable learning to use a new technology device such as a smartphone or tablet on their own, while 77% indicate they would need someone to help walk them through the process.”
An additional pro is that technology allows them to keep in touch with their friends or family through this technology. If they use something like social media they can see how they're doing through things like posts and whatnot. Or they can call them and FaceTime them to talk to someone that's halfway across the world.
“Although nothing can replace in-person connections and quality time with your friends and family, social media has become a great way to stay informed about your loved ones’ lives.” Says Saint Simeon’s community center “As friends and families are becoming more separated from each other due to geographical moves, video chats, texting and social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram keep you connected with loved ones, no matter where they are located.”
Another con is the way it affects your mental health. It can have positive effects but most of the time it has negative ones. Social media as a concept is positive but the way it can affect your mind can be negative. It's about keeping that line there and not being on it too much to where you are being affected by what other people are doing or things that are out of your control.
“I think sometimes, you know, the scrolling or just like the constant bombardment of news articles and content and ads. There are so many ads everywhere all the time. It's like, you know, you just got to watch one YouTube video and there's like, three minutes worth of ads in this one single YouTube video, so I like that part of it. So I'd say it's like maybe 50/50 I don't know. Maybe. Maybe 60/40. I don't know. But you know, something like that, I try to focus on the positive” Said Mr otto
There are a lot of different pros and cons of technology’s evolution on adults but by being able to manage their use of it while always being open to new things and trying to stay in the loop with it they can take the pros and make it more than the cons.
“Like looking at social media sometimes like that can be a lot I feel like especially when I was your age I just could not, I remember I deleted my Instagram then re-download it during the pandemic, I was bored” Said Ms Wardlaw “I remember being sad and depressed because like, you know, people have things that they want to say and then Twitter fingers crazy. But I think you know, even now as an adult like it, I don't want to say people get better as y'all grow y'all still act like kids on the internet. So I feel like I don't know if I give into that. It could be bad but you know, I try to stay in the rural world and remain positive, all that good stuff, but it's definitely not easy”