Author: Deborah Bongiorno
Prime Time
A blog for older Americans to help them make the most of their prime retirement years and age well
Shattering Stereotypes About Older Adults and Technology
Research Shows Tech Usage “Surging” Among Older Adults
I remember getting my very first email.
I worked in external communications for a technology-focused university, and so I was pretty well set up with a good, speedy computer (good and speedy for the late 1980s, anyway), a ready supply of floppy disks, a high-tech phone, and a fax machine down the hallway.
But this email thing? Ridiculous, I muttered to myself. “No one will ever do this,” I told a colleague. “You gotta actually talk to people to get things done!”
Well, we all know how THAT prediction panned out. In fact, so much about our tech-rich lives has changed since my first email that it’s impossible to summarize where we’ve been and inconceivable to predict where we’re going.
Few definitive elements of our modern lives have changed us more than personal-use technology, and yes, by “us” I mean older adults. We rely on personal technology for everything from taking and storing photos to monitoring our health, staying in touch with far-flung family and friends, counting our steps, reading the latest New York Times bestseller, planning a travel itinerary, and navigating our way around a traffic jam. Goodness only knows what’s next.
Embracing Technology. Unlike my email prediction, here’s a forecast I think will stand the test of time: Older adults–that’s you and me–will continue to shatter the stereotype of befuddled and crotchety ancients railing against new-fangled gadgets and instead readily adopt all manner of new personal technology that helps us live better, healthier, more connected lives.
Here are some highlights from an AARP website article, “Tech Use and Adoption Keeps Surging Among Older Adults,” by Brittne Kakulla, senior research advisor, AARP Research. The article, posted in December 2025, summarizes the latest AARP technology survey first conducted in 2016.
· 50+ adults have rapidly integrated digital services into daily routines, transitioning from basic users to fully engaged participants. In addition, 90 percent of us own smartphones–an increase from 55 percent a decade ago.
· Older adults own modern tech devices at the same rate, or nearly so, as younger adults, with wearables, such as smart watches, as the sole exception.
· Some 46 percent of adults age 80+ view technology as an ally in healthy aging, an increase over 39 percent just a year ago.
· Texting is now the leading method of communication among adults age 50+. Nine in 10 of us use social media, and 8 in 10 stream video weekly.
· We use technology to video chat, do our banking and shopping, stream music, store photos, and keep track of our medical records.
That said, barriers remain, including concerns about privacy, how companies use our data, outdated skills (especially skills that keep pace with innovations in functionality), and design issues for older people, among others.
What about AI? Well … skeptics remain. As for me, every time I suffer through an automated customer service telephone menu or roll my eyes at a flawed AI narration of a YouTube video, I want to toss my smartphone through the nearest window.
“The challenge for industry is to make technology personally meaningful to older adults through age-friendly design paired with ongoing education and real-world product exposure,” Kakulla reports. “Addressing these challenges will build confidence and help older adults understand the value of tech without replacing the human connection people rely on.”
Just like my very first email, I long for a human connection–a real person-to-person exchange. I know, I know … the times, they are a’ changing. AI is sure to evolve, improve, and gain value. I’m determined to do the same.
Read the entire article at Tech Use and Adoption Keeps Surging Among Older Adults