Highlights

--Older Americans may want to disconnect from technology, but they can't afford to as the economy and society become more digital.

--Not being digitally literate also makes it harder to stay connected to other people and avoid scams. 

When it comes to the digital world, a lot of older Americans take a pass, content to have little connection, if any at all. 

But a Tippie College of Business researcher said technology is taking over the economy at such a rapid pace that soon, they won’t be able to opt out. Everyday activities like banking, paying taxes, or talking with distant grandchildren are becoming more dependent on technology, making it imperative for older Americans to be comfortable using it. 

Now that paper Social Security checks have been phased out in favor of electronic deposit, technology has become an even bigger part of their lives. 

“As society becomes more technologically dependent, older people have to learn how it works to function in a digital world,” said Yiduo Shao, assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship, who studies aging and technology, and how they impact society and the workplace. “This is something society is going to expect of them.”

Using technology to reconnect

This digital exclusion is also an important part of the loneliness epidemic and learning how to use technology is key to reconnecting people and finding solutions. 

Shao said that despite increased use of technology, many older Americans choose to take themselves out of the digital world. 

“Older adults say, I can’t keep up, this is not for me,” said Shao. “Learning new things may not be what’s important to them. But as the world becomes more technologically dependent, they must learn how it works to function in the world.”

Shao said studies show that people do have a harder time adapting to newer forms of technology as we age, that it’s not just a baseless stereotype. Our fluid intelligence—or our ability to think abstractly, reason quickly and solve problems—slows as most people get older, so we don’t grasp technology as intuitively as we once did. A 30-year-old who had no problem figuring out a web browser in 1996 might have a more difficult time grasping AI as a 60-year-old in 2026.

Retired, with fewer motivations to learn 

She said older retired people also have fewer motivations to learn how to use newer forms of technology, unlike when they were still working and needed to learn how to use the latest for their jobs and careers. 

But Shao said this information isolation poses more problems for older people than just making it difficult to do their banking or schedule a lunch with friends. She said studies show that digital exclusion lowers a person’s psychological and social well-being and leaves them more susceptible to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Exclusion makes it more to difficult access information about health care and make it harder to make appointments with health care providers and other professionals. 

For those who are still working, she said digital exclusion can mean fewer professional opportunities, declining job performance, and a fear of speaking up about technological issues for fear of looking out of touch. 

Harder to identify misinformation

Exclusion also increases the likelihood that older people won’t be able to identify misinformation and disinformation. They’re more likely to fall for scams about Nigerian princes or grandchildren who need money immediately. 

Solving the problem won’t be easy, she said. While family members can show older people how to use current technology and nonprofit organizations can schedule classes that help make them feel more comfortable with it, many simply won’t be motivated to pursue them. 

The Takeaway

She suggested that designers can help by making software that’s easier to use. For instance, she said that many websites for companies in China now have options for users to easily increase the font size of the screen text so it’s easier to read. 

A paper co-authored by Shao, “The involuntary exclusion of older adults,” was recently published in the journal American Psychologist. 

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