Furman University

Surf's Up for Seniors

Several years ago I encouraged my parents, both in their 70s, to get their first computer. They emphatically refused, saying that they had absolutely no interest in such modern gadgets. Undeterred by their resistance, I brazenly took a computer to their house, connected it, and then paid a Furman University student to begin tutoring them in its use,
Within a month, they were addicted. Hour after hour, day after day, they were online, exploring the infinite resources of the Web, unleashing a barrage of e-mail messages to family and friends, and playing computer games into the wee hours of the night.

Soon, my father, a retired advertising executive, decided he needed more processing speed, so he bought a more powerful PC system, complete with speakers and CD hookup. The only downside to my parents being octogenarian computer geeks is that they are so often online that it is impossible to reach them by phone.

I shouldn't have been surprised. Amid all the hype associated with the Internet revolution is a development of surprising scope and significance: the fastest growing group of computer users is not children or young adult members of Generation X. It is senior citizens.

Older Americans are embracing the Internet with the enthusiasm of teen-agers. Millions of retirees are booting up, logging on, and surfing the Web. The number of older citizens going on line is expected to increase from about 14 million today to 27 million by 2003. Seniors are online more hours per week at home than any other age group. In light of such trends, new retirement communities are wiring their centers and installing computers with Internet access.

To many senior citizens, though, the Internet is more than a hobby or an inexpensive way to keep in touch with their children and grandchildren. For people in their golden years who may be lonely, isolated, or limited in their mobility by health problems, a computer and the Internet offer an enticing window to a new world that is both interactive and enlightening. Seniors can join online book clubs, participate in discussion groups, read hometown newspapers, reconnect with military units or college friends, learn about medical issues and prescription medicines, take college courses, and make new acquaintances.

Entrepreneurs are creating Web sites to attract older consumers. One of the most popular sites is SeniorNet.com, which hosts chat rooms and more than 400 discussion groups with 45 book clubs. Its more than 38,000 members may participate in virtual walking clubs or in discussions covering such topics as genealogy, cooking, World War II, gardening, pets and politics.

Other organizations are helping retirees become computer literate. Furman University, for example, offers a Learning in Retirement (FULIR) program that provides several computer courses each term-fall, winter, and spring. These popular courses are almost always full and range from Beginning Computers for the Terrified to various advanced level courses.

Such demand for computer instruction among the chronologically advanced is only going to increase. Technological innovations directed at older Web users, such as larger screens and arthritic-friendly mouses and touchpads, are rapidly closing the digital divide between the older and younger generations.

Of course, the Internet can never replace a personal visit or a warm hug. But it can help re-ignite a passion for learning and interaction. "The Web has the potential to transform the entire experience of aging," says Hugh O'Connor, director of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Research Information Center. "We are just starting to understand the implications, but it's already clear that the Internet can stimulate independent living among the elderly."

To be sure, many older Americans still balk at the expense and complexity of computers. Some of them suffer from "computer psychosis," a fear of new technologies. But as my parents have proven, it is a fear that is easily overcome.