About fifteen years ago I wrote Recollecting the Forties, a small
book about my childhood in rural Michigan in the 1940s. Looking back in 2000, I
judged rural life rather harshly. I had never been able to romanticize country life
as some writers do, and felt in general that urban life was preferable. As soon
as I graduated from college, I happily moved on to a city. For the next fifty
years, living in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, I took advantage of
urban delights.
Today my attitude has changed. It has been
several years since I moved away from the San Francisco Bay area, and there are
few things I miss. Living in the Sierra Nevada Mountains seems exciting enough
at this time of my life (and in fact, the Wild West atmosphere here sometimes
is more exciting than I care for). The ethnic restaurants that once charmed me
in San Francisco appeal to me less now than ordinary Midwestern foods from
years ago. I still love the museums that can be found only in cities, but frequent
travel in a motorhome makes it possible to visit them without being limited to
those in one area. Many years of concerts and theaters were enough; now I am
content to watch Netflix movies or DVDs from the library (which are also
considerably cheaper than live entertainment!), and to listen to recorded
music. Books—hardbound, audiobooks,
e-books—are all easily available from the local library or through interlibrary
loan. I can write or edit more easily than I would have dreamed possible in the
pre-computer years..
Much of what I can enjoy today is made
possible by my computer and e-book reader. Luckily, the World Wide Web is
available almost everywhere. When traveling in our motorhome, I can access it
in libraries or coffee shops. Some campgrounds have Wi-Fi also.
Older adults like me are statistically less
likely to use the Web than younger people who have grown up with modern
technology, but our use is growing rapidly. When the population ages further,
we will change the statistics. As with any unfamiliar skill, training is
essential. For those of us who have no grandchildren, many senior centers and
libraries offer classes that help new users learn to navigate the Web. Though education
and affluence are important factors in computer use, as prices continue to
drop, most people of all ages will become more likely to go online.
The Web can’t do everything for us. I miss
the Unitarian churches that seem to be found only in cities, and e-books are not as
satisfactory as real books in many ways. Convenient as email is, it does not
have the permanence and appeal of stationery and handwriting.
There is also a down side to the Web, of course.
It can be a tremendous time-waster, but so can television or trashy reading. Novice
users can quickly stray onto sites where they may be scammed, and training
needs to include cautions about that danger. All in all, though, the Web can
make life for older adults much richer than it was in the 1940s.
