wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

I appreciate your individual experience with respect to your family and modern technology.

However, I work for a company where we try to communicate basic technology to University Faculty Staff (Particularly Career & Alumni Services). This technology is quote simply, social & professional networking and the power behind such networks.

I cannot explain to you the technological disconnect between these people and the students and young alumni they are trying their best to interact with. The are incredibly resistant when approaching this technology (save a few exceptions, like your grandparents) and simply refute its use.

It's terribly sad, truthfully.

My first reaction to the idea of hooking older people up to the Internet was "Great idea!" But the I began to wonder whether hooking Grandma up to Facebook might become an excuse not to visit her, talk to her, ask her questions, and hold her hand. I'm concerned that people are increasingly confusing accessibility with human contact, and that that confusion is making us all lonelier.

I only see my parents once every 2 years or so. With my dad it's easier to connect: email, IMs, webcam, blogs. With my mom, since she's pretty much computer-illiterate, text messaging comes to the rescue.

I totally agree that we underestimate the technical capacity of "older folk."

My 86 year old grandfather bought a wii last year to improve his mobility. It took a few weeks, but he and my grandmother play 7-8 games everyday, he can beat everyone in the family and is getting around better than ever.

Seems to me like life is turning into the SIMS game....I want to send my SIM to work for me!

I think all this is such BS, time to step away from the social deprivation device and get out and experience life, not cyber life.