Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 1. Inhabitants and Internet users by age
Internet users by age
inhabitants by age
14 - 19 years
20 - 29 years
30 - 39 years
40 - 49 years
50 - 59 years
60 - 69 years
25%
0%
0%
25%
Source: GfK Online Monitor, 2001
Source: GfK Online Monitor, 2001
are by far not represented proportionally to their part of all inhabitants. For Germany, the
situation is like that shown in Figure 1. Out of 52.5 Mio people in Germany between 14 to 69
years old, 46% (24.2 Mio) have access to the Internet and use it at least sometimes (GfK, 2001).
But, only 5% of the older population (60 to 69 years of age) is using the Internet. In other words,
while two out of three juniors (14 to 19 years) are using the Internet at least occasionally, only
one out of eight older people (60 to 69 years) do so (GfK, 2001).
Various reasons cause these different usage patterns. Some reasons why elderly people
are not using the Internet as are younger people are as follows:
•
Older people seldom have Internet access at home or at work. Therefore, they are
missing possibilities to test and to train in usage of the Internet.
•
Older people are often too shy to test newer technologies for the first time.
•
Probably, the current generation of older people is the last generation that did not get
any experience in using a PC; the following generations use PCs at school and at work.
•
Therefore, older people have minor handling skills with PCs and the Internet; this
implies that they could not recognize useful and promising ways to use the Internet.
•
There may be some language problems, because in Germany, the common language of
Data Processing is full of English idioms (e.g., Browser, World Wide Web, Joystick,
Display, Windows, Icon, Click, Desktop, Button, Service Provider, Cursor, Download,
Homepage, Link, Newsgroup, online, Client, Server, Update) and abbreviations (e.g.,
PC, WWW, PS/2, MS, USB, VGA, LCD, GB, DVD, ROM, RAM, ISDN, ISP, SMS, BIOS,
DFÜ, PDF, SCSI, SSL). But, the language skills of elderly people are probably weaker
than the skills of younger people. The lack of understanding of the language will
increase their uncertainty with the technology.
