Mozzeenet

The ease and ability of seniors in our society to use ICTs to access information and complete tasks is a specific topic area within the digital divide debate and some of my thoughts on this were sparked by the release of a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation last week: ‘Online Health Information Poised to Become Important Resource For Seniors, But Not There Yet - Digital Divide Puts Many Seniors At Disadvantage‘.

My parents behaviour in this realm correlates with the statistics from the report, gathered in the US, which show that more people aged 50-64 years (my parents’ age bracket) have gone online and use email than citizens 65+ years old. Both Mum and Dad make full use of the internet and email for staying in touch, finding information, booking events, banking and pursuing interests. Dad regularly spends up to 4 hours a day on a forum for owners of the ZR7 Kawasaki motorcycle sharing maintenance advice, travel stories and photos with other enthusiasts around the world. Mum emails friends and family with the latest news, forwards jokes and photos, writes comments on my blog and does her banking online. I am quite impressed with the way they have been willing to learn new methods and take advantage of the benefits. Read more »

Andy Carvin’s article The Tsunami as a Wake-Up Call to Bridging the Digital Divide on the Digital Divide Network is inspiring for people like me who are interested in the role of IT in improving people’s lives especially for people who are disadvantaged. It’s really interesting to read his example of how technology played a part in saving lives in the horrific tsunami disaster affecting hundreds of thousands of people across Asia and Africa. He describes a telecentre in India where the staff were notified of the impending tidal wave and were able to immediately utilise the strong community and public address system which had been developed to alert local villagers. Read more »