Humans Have A Universal Need For Contact With Others

Research shows that the majority of older people feel technology makes a positive impact on society, but their lack of experience culminates in a scarcity of confidence in their ability to take up new gadgets and to navigate the online world.[2] This lack of confidence is widely perceived as ineptitude, widening the perceived digital divide and perpetuating stereotypes and prejudices based on age. The ability to easily and rapidly share information resulted in a technological sea change with a swiftness and magnitude never before experienced. The prolific adoption of new technology has reached all aspects of human activity. Digital divide is a term used to identify those who do and do not use the internet, and to what degree. As a result, an interesting and cyclical phenomenon persists in which older people are left out of the research and development process for applications that are designed for older people, which in turn suppresses use and leads to further stigmatization when older people fail to adopt products not because of disinterest but because they fail to address their wants and needs. Ageism in digital technology begins with the fact that younger people are the primary points of reference for identifying trends and practices. Shameful discriminatory practices and lack of age diversity inside the walls of tech companies plants ageism firmly within the culture. This structural and cultural ageism has vast consequences for the development and design of tech products. The human decisions driving the development of complex algorithms reproduce judgments and prejudices based on age stereotypes, which then become embedded within the digital system itself. Algorithms are opinions embedded in code.[7] The fact that the vast majority of studies on digital practices don’t include older adult voices or opinions exacerbates matters even further.

Things Happen That Way

As a result, big data, which is used to drive research questions and product development, may itself be ageist. Digital systems routinely monitor activity and generate information logs that in turn are used as input for artificial intelligence systems.[8] Just because there is a lot of data does not mean that it is representative of the behaviors and interests of the population as a whole. Big data is used to customize and improve digital products that rely on traits such as age, but as we have previously noted, when it comes to older people, we can’t make any meaningful inferences in someone’s behavior, preferences, attitudes, or usage based on their age alone. This is compounded further by the underrepresentation of diverse populations of older people whose members have intersectional identities based on gender and race. Inferring that older people are incompetent as a whole promotes ageism by endorsing ageist stereotypes and judgments. I will again refer back to the concept of stereotype threat and the phenomenon that we become the very stereotype that is thrust upon us. Around the turn of the new millennium, social media became ubiquitous. Social media platforms and applications enabled users to create and share content with friends, groups, or the public at large and have come to include social networking sites, forums, microblogging, wikis, and more. During the 2000s, social media use grew exponentially for all age groups as smart devices and mobile applications became more prevalent. With social media engagement a daily routine for most consumers, it makes logical sense for marketers to want to understand how generational preferences shape media habits. However, as we have learned, lumping people together based on manufactured and arbitrary generational classifications intensifies generational stereotypes and discord.

It's Too Late

Although age is one factor that shapes social media habits, they are affected far more by individual preferences and interests. Using age or generation to predict and classify behavior teaches people to give voice to stereotypes with regard to other people, who are often deemed as fundamentally different or less than. The reality is that people over fifty now constitute one of the largest cohorts using technology to access social media. It has been reported that 76 percent of people aged fifty and older use at least one social media platform. In particular, technology has been transformative for people seeking to stay connected with family and friends. Now that engaging with another human anywhere is but a click or voice command away, it is a cruel paradox that our virtual world, blossoming with opportunity for social contact, is often a very lonely place. Study after study shows that loneliness and isolation are an increasing problem that should be of great concern in our virtual world. Robotic dogs, cats, and even seals are being marketed as interactive solutions to bring comfort and companionship to older people. For the sake of clarity, referring to someone as a dementia patient is demeaning and diminishes a person’s identity to that of a perpetual patient. To say that someone is living with dementia is a far more accurate way to describe the actual individualistic experience. Their development signifies to me that we have entered the realm of robotic babysitting for older people, further removing older people from opportunities for actual human and animal connection. Let us remember that older people, like people of all ages, need more than just a placating representation of connection to thrive.

The Sands Of Time

Humans have a biological, universal need for contact with others. Without it, skin hunger, or touch starvation, ensues. Interaction through touch has a variety of beneficial outcomes, including the production of serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin, a neurotransmitter affectionately known as the love hormone. The need for touch is evident in early life and it is well known that attachment, or lack thereof, between infants and caregivers is critical to developmental outcomes, and physical touch is a vital component of the attachment process. A solid and secure relationship with a close caregiver in early life forms the basis of healthy social and emotional relationships.[10] When we feel loved, secure, and confident from a young age, we carry that with us throughout the entirety of our lives. The importance of attachment does not diminish in adulthood or elderhood. Without such connections, we are vulnerable to emotional hunger, a biological and psychological need that an artificially intelligent pet companion robot is not equipped to satisfy.