Blog Number Five

In lecture we recently have been talking about how different age groups use the internet, the way teenagers or young adults use it is different than how a child or a parent would use it. One age group I found particularly interesting to study internet use was when talking about the elderly.

Coming from a family that my nana doesn’t even have a cell phone or computer I thought this  was really interesting to study. It makes when you think about it-this is an age group that is just now getting introduced to this technology when we (young adults/college kids) have grown up with it our entire lives.

When I think of the elderly people I know, I think about how they grew up in a completely different time, so it kind of seems silly to naturally assume they’ll be just as aware of the internet as I, someone who grew up with it. 

We talked about how elderly people are a prime target for internet scams. I have have known specific elderly citizens who have fallen for this trap.

My roommate actually just dealt with this situation earlier this week. She was informed that someone had emailed her grandmother claiming her older sister was in jail for drugs and needed two thousands dollars as quickly as possible. My roommates grandmother gave up the money with no questions asked.

It wasn’t that her grandmother was an idiot, she just was unaware how easy it was for hackers to get information such as email, bank account numbers, and other personal information.

This situation gave what we were talking about in lecture life for me.

A key way some elderly internet users to scammed is through Facebook. Which is actually the primary social media that age group uses, but if they are not careful it can be perfect location for them to fall for a trap.

Although there are many great opportunities for elderly to keep up with their friends and family on Facebook and even find love online, it still is important for them to educate themselves.

The internet is a great tool, however our generation and the one under us grew up with it so to our age group it’s second nature. That’s not the case with the elderly, which is why is can sometimes seem the internet targets them most when it comes to online scams.