生活数字化，老人学习忙

玛丽耶拉·阿塔尔

A generation who grew up with black-and-white TV are now video chatting like teenagers—and for many the transition has been relatively painless. 看著黑白电视长大的一代人，如今也像青少年那样视频聊天了，而且这种转变对很多人来说也没那么费劲。

“I used to look at some people using WhatsApp video and think， I wonder what thats all about，” says 74-year-old Jillian Cheetham. “Now， you know， Ive discovered its pretty easy.”

Her book club， which has been going for 10 years， has just had its first Zoom meeting. “It was lovely to be together again and feel that we can keep on going，” Cheetham says. “Theres no wine and cheese on the table or tea and cake at the end of it， its not as much fun when its virtual. But were discussing a book we all really enjoyed. And， apart from a few hitches like some peoples frames freezing， it was really， really satisfying.”

A few short weeks ago， that would have been unthinkable. “Technology wasnt really relevant until perhaps the last 25% of my career，” says Cheetham， a former high school teacher， business owner and financial industry professional. “There was no training whatsoever. And if my computer wasnt turning on Id ring IT and theyd sort it out. Up until about 2000 you could learn the program specific to what you needed to do. There wasnt a need to go beyond that if you didnt want to.” But thats all had to change for her generation： “Weve been forced to encounter technology in a very different way if we want to continue to have any quality of life.”

The need to connect is precisely whats driving many seniors to do just that， according to RMITs Dr Torgeir Aleti， whos researching how technology helps support connectedness and social inclusion among older people.

This confirms what he and his colleagues have suspected for a long time： “Its just a stereotype that is constantly perpetuated， that seniors dont know this stuff.” “The idea that its not for me， I dont have the skills， or the resources， or Im afraid of being bullied， or of doing something wrong—these things are now being pushed into the background because were in a situation where its that or just patting the cat for two weeks while Im waiting to… go out again，” Aleti says.

Many are turning to younger generations for help， with mixed results. “Over the phone， its， ah， it always starts off civil， and I always begin with the intention that somehow Ill be able to solve her problem for her，” says Cheethams daughter， Naomi. “But as you know personally with technology， sometimes it becomes overwhelming， no matter how tech-savvy you may be.”

Tasks that could easily be demonstrated in person quickly turn into a multi-step tangle of complicated workarounds—like talking someone through using Zoom for the first time.

“I taught her to do a video call on WhatsApp first， and how to switch her camera around so I could see what she was doing on her screen rather than her face. It was an enormously clunky way to do it，” Naomi says. “Thats when I realized shed need a cheat sheet. I used the Snipping tool to show all the screens. It was like Ikea instructions—as few words as possible.” Her mother sent that on to others， who passed it on to their friends too. “Naomi is great，” Cheetham says， “I cant sing her praises enough.” But… “I find the best teachers are people of my own generation. That seems to work best for me， anyway.”

Glen Wall， the vice-president of U3A Network Victoria， agrees. Hes seen a remarkable uptake in technology among members of the University of the Third Age organization， which runs courses for older people， and has been moving classes online since early March. In less than three weeks 15 tutors in his area of Whittlesea were running sessions over Zoom， taking about half their students—the early adapters—with them. Wall says a second wave is now coming onboard. “People are sort of socially figuring it out，” he says. “I know of a 94-year-old… who talked his 93-year-old mate into buying his old iPad off him. He bought a new one and hes taught his mate to push that button so he can talk to him every morning.”

“Community connecters” are crucial to spreading the knowledge. “Theyll be the sort of person that can use technology or find out how to， and then have the ability or passion to share the experience，” Wall says.

One such person is U3A member Awhina Te Amo， a full-time carer for her 70-year-old mother， who has Alzheimers disease. Before social distancing， Te Amo accompanied her mother to line dancing， choir， tap dancing， chair aerobics and tai chi. Now a lot of it is virtual. “We also stay connected with others through WhatsApp， email， and Im currently working on a YouTube channel，” Te Amo says. “We have a little group on Facebook and Im teaching others what Ive been learning. Im just passing on the knowledge as best as I can.”

Relying on a trusted circle of people is the key to solving many technology dilemmas， according to Wall. “If a person talks about what they are looking to do—not how—in their group of friends， they will most likely find someone thats actually done it. And that person will show them.”

Meanwhile， Cheetham is persevering with the unfamiliar. “If theres one thing this coronavirus is going to do， its going to shift the balance from interactions more strongly in the direction of tech communication，” she says. “So its one thing to prefer something else， but to be functional my generation are going to have to do it.”

“我见过有人用瓦次普视频聊天，就想弄明白这玩意儿怎么用。”74岁的吉莉安·奇塔姆说，“现在，我发现这挺容易上手的。”

奇塔姆所在的书友会已经办了10个年头，不久前才刚用Zoom开会。“又能聚到一起太好啦，感觉我们的活动又能继续办了。”奇塔姆说，“没有美酒奶酪，缺了会后茶点，线上不如现场会那样有趣，但我们要聊的书是大家都喜欢的。除了一些人的画面有些卡顿的小状况，效果真的令人非常满意。”

这种聚会形式要放在几周前，连想都不敢想。教过中学、开过公司、做过金融的奇塔姆说：“我大概在职业生涯的后四分之一时间才真正接触技术。我半点儿也没学过，电脑一旦开不了机，我就得找技术部门把问题解决。到2000年那会儿，可以专门去学需要用到的电脑技术。如果不想学也没必要学那么多。”但她那一代人的生活方式得改变了。“但凡仍想過得有质量，那就得换个态度看待技术。”

皇家墨尔本理工大学研究技术如何助力老年人交往和社会融入的托尔盖·阿列季博士表示，正是交往的需求促使不少老年人做出那种转变。

这证实了他和同事长期以来的猜想：“总说老年人不会弄这些东西，这只是个固化印象。”他说：“‘这不是我该玩儿的‘我哪有那两下子‘没地儿学去‘怕被网暴‘出了错怎么办，此类担忧如今都被抛到脑后了，毕竟事已至此，要么转变，不变就只能在家逗猫干等俩礼拜，看什么时候能再出门。……