How Long It Will Be Before Our Society Becomes A Cashless One?

[crookesey]

32 minutes ago, melthebell said:

Indeed, not denying theres no inherent risks with new technology, but sometimes some people are so blindly against something. as i stated, Like the Luddites, technology and progress marches on, theres always good points and bad points.

Well your post count tells us that you’re not a Luddite, I wonder what Ned would think to your opinion of him and his. 

Edited April 6, 2022 by crookesey

[Anna B]

We still have a generation of people who are not all familiar with computers and online banking. Do they not count? 

Apparently not. They may have retired before the onslaught of computer technology and still struggle to catch up, or never been in a position to start. We know old people come very low down any list of priorities, and even the most basic and simple assistance and care are hard to come by these days so they are left high and dry. 

 

The general consensus is that this generation will die out soon enough, and so everyone will finally be fully aware of how to handle computer technology.

But another problem springs to mind, and that is the memory problems and confusion that beset some people in old age and their ability to cope with the plethora of digital information. It's not easy. Everything, from ordering a repeat prescription online to digital banking will become more problematic and mistakes will be made. Has this even been considered?

 

The elderly have often had problems dealing with the modern world, but the sea change that has come about with digialisation is huge (and only just started.) I really don't see the situation improving any time soon...  

[crookesey]

Anna, the life expectancy of us coffin dodgers is minuscule, why worry, we can’t do anything about it, we can’t have what they expect as normal, they can’t have we have had, however we can recall our experiences, they can’t say say the same of their imaginings.

[ECCOnoob]

2 hours ago, Anna B said:

We still have a generation of people who are not all familiar with computers and online banking. Do they not count? 

Apparently not. They may have retired before the onslaught of computer technology and still struggle to catch up, or never been in a position to start. We know old people come very low down any list of priorities, and even the most basic and simple assistance and care are hard to come by these days so they are left high and dry. 

 

The general consensus is that this generation will die out soon enough, and so everyone will finally be fully aware of how to handle computer technology.

But another problem springs to mind, and that is the memory problems and confusion that beset some people in old age and their ability to cope with the plethora of digital information. It's not easy. Everything, from ordering a repeat prescription online to digital banking will become more problematic and mistakes will be made. Has this even been considered?

 

Why is that any different to elderly people having to fill in paperwork? Having to make appointments over a telephone? Having to respond to written correspondence?  

 

Mistakes can be made just as easy whether it's analogue or digital. If the next generation of pensioners and elderly have had 30, 40, 50 + years of filling in online prescriptions or dealing with 'digital information' or reacting to emails all their lives, it becomes second nature and of course any risk of so-called confusion or mistakes will be no different to a current pensioner filling in details on a piece of paper or appropriately responding to a letter which similarly will have been something they have done all of their lives second nature. Everything evolves.

 

Nobody is expecting pensioners to be masters in computer literacy but let's be realistic here. We are talking about basic things such as electronic debit/credit cards which have been in existence for nearly 40 years. We are talking about telephone or online banking which has been in existence for at least 20 + years.  

 

Long retired or not, for the vast majority of elderly they have had at least a quarter of their lives to familiarise themselves and adapt. I'm sure many elderly grew up in an era of of coal fires, manually operated car chokes, rotary dial phones, buying groceries from Mrs Miggins corner shop or travelling on buses with their paper passes. Doesn't automatically mean they haven't managed to adapt to using modern day central heating or driving modern day cars or using a contactless travel passes or calling on mobile phones or coping with the trials and tribulations of modern day superstore.

 

Why should banking or government services such a doctor's be any different?   Times are constantly changing as they will for our current generation in 40 years time. We all have a duty to adapt, learn and evolve.  If they don't know how they go get someone to help them.

Edited April 6, 2022 by ECCOnoob

[Anna B]

59 minutes ago, ECCOnoob said:

Why is that any different to elderly people having to fill in paperwork? Having to make appointments over a telephone? Having to respond to written correspondence?  

 

Mistakes can be made just as easy whether it's analogue or digital. If the next generation of pensioners and elderly have had 30, 40, 50 + years of filling in online prescriptions or dealing with 'digital information' or reacting to emails all their lives, it becomes second nature and of course any risk of so-called confusion or mistakes will be no different to a current pensioner filling in details on a piece of paper or appropriately responding to a letter which similarly will have been something they have done all of their lives second nature. Everything evolves.

 

Nobody is expecting pensioners to be masters in computer literacy but let's be realistic here. We are talking about basic things such as electronic debit/credit cards which have been in existence for nearly 40 years. We are talking about telephone or online banking which has been in existence for at least 20 + years.  

 

Long retired or not, for the vast majority of elderly they have had at least a quarter of their lives to familiarise themselves and adapt. I'm sure many elderly grew up in an era of of coal fires, manually operated car chokes, rotary dial phones, buying groceries from Mrs Miggins corner shop or travelling on buses with their paper passes. Doesn't automatically mean they haven't managed to adapt to using modern day central heating or driving modern day cars or using a contactless travel passes or calling on mobile phones or coping with the trials and tribulations of modern day superstore.

 

Why should banking or government services such a doctor's be any different?   Times are constantly changing as they will for our current generation in 40 years time. We all have a duty to adapt, learn and evolve.  If they don't know how they go get someone to help them.

Can they now? When they can't even get somebody to change a lightbulb without charging them £50.

 

[RollingJ]

1 minute ago, Anna B said:

Can they now? When they can't even get somebody to change a lightbulb without charging them £50.

 

What - no neighbours/help?

[ECCOnoob]

6 hours ago, Anna B said:

Can they now? When they can't even get somebody to change a lightbulb without charging them £50.

 

I literally have no idea what you're on about.  

 

Are you suggesting that our elderly are so infirm and so incapable that they simply cannot adapt to any possible changes to processes, technology or society. They have absolutely no friends, neighbours, relatives, acquaintances, support groups, carers or even the businesses themselves who they could turn to if they need guidance.

 

Are they also so completely inept and incapable of life management that they cannot possibly take the time to make enquiries, read a leaflet or find out information as to how to do something.

 

Stop being so dramatic. You make yourself sound ridiculous and quite frankly insulting to the millions of elderly people who have more coped and adapted perfectly well to all sorts of changes over the decades. 

 

God sake, I know people in their 80s and 90s who understand the basic concepts of a contactless debit card or how to use their mobile phone. Anyone younger than that has absolutely no excuse. ATM Cashpoints have been around from the 60s, electronic debit and credit cards since the 80s, the internet has been mainstream since the 1990s, smartphones have been on the market for 15 years, even self checkouts have been commonplace for nearly a decade....

 

If they are genuinely that detached and incapable of dealing with changes in modern life,  quite frankly they should not be managing their own affairs.

Edited April 7, 2022 by ECCOnoob

[Anna B]

3 hours ago, RollingJ said:

What - no neighbours/help?

All out at work, probably don't even know their names.

[Padders]

17 minutes ago, Anna B said:

All out at work, probably don't even know their names.

Bodge it  and scarper, do excellent rates for pensioners..

[hackey lad]

1 hour ago, Anna B said:

All out at work, probably don't even know their names.

Your struggling now . If you know anyone who needs a bulb changing, I will do it for free 

Edited April 6, 2022 by hackey lad