Pocket-Sized World: Living With Smartphones And Social Media

“Once upon a time, we would queue up to buy railway tickets, and that’s how we would encounter co-passengers for the forthcoming train journey. But now, we don’t step out to buy tickets, and miss out on those social interactions.”

“But hasn’t it become more convenient to buy railway tickets now, thanks to the Internet, instead of queuing up for hours?”

This was a conversation that took place online, among the members of Silver Talkies, as they reflected on our worlds fitting into our pockets, in the form of the smartphone. In the face of constantly-evolving digital technologies, and emergence of a wide variety of social media platforms, what is the uptake of these tools by older adults in India?

Despite the global phenomenon of population ageing incentivizing the introduction and growth of new technology-enabled products and services for older adults, their adoption rate remains very low. Statistics from 2022 show that approximately 80% of people above 56 years of age in India do not use social media. Beyond issues such as poor interface design, lack of inclusivity, and limited accessibility, many seniors voluntarily choose not to carry the world in their pockets through smartphones. Compiling data on smartphone ownership and social media usage in 2022 and 2023, the Pew Research Center found that in India, around 75 per cent of those with at least a secondary school education own a smartphone, compared with around 33 per cent of people with less education. In yet another study conducted in the US—whose results would be similar in India—it was found that adoption of key technologies by those in the oldest age group (65+) has grown markedly since about a decade ago, and the gap between the oldest and youngest adults has narrowed.

It could not be missed that a robust discussion about Internet-based technologies by people living across India—as well as some who were visiting other countries—took place on Zoom: an Internet-mediated communication platform.

Our members got down to discuss some of the things they do not like about social media, each had a lot to share as they nostalgically looked back at the era when one would meet peers over chai, coffee or perhaps a drink, share a laugh, and have a nice hearty conversation which now is reduced to a simple WhatsApp text. For Ravi Acharya, the term “smartphone” is a misnomer, since its advent has meant that he longer is able to remember the phone numbers of his friends—which was once a common practice. Some others feel that the various tools within the smartphone have meant that we now rely on the phone for even basic calculations.

The diminishing era of in-person interactions and its impact is a concern in other parts of the world as well. A 2023 study exploring “smartphone dependence” among older adults found that they would be keen to maintain online social relationships, while also worry about disconnection from existing relationships. Reflecting on a recent sight of children exiting from the school and immediately being engrossed in their smartphone screens, Acharya remarked at the loss of face-to-face interactions that characterised his school days: filled with running out, laughing, and enjoying endless chatter and games with friends. “Even now, I would rather meet for coffee every week, “ he said. Similarly, Uma Kasturi shared how she told her bank that converting all services into an online mode would mean that for people like her, the opportunity for face-to-face communication would be lost.

On the other hand, many Silver Talkies members feel that smartphones have enabled ease in accessing essential services like banking, booking tickets, scheduling doctor's appointments, paying bills, calling for a taxi and other conveniences, with just a few clicks on the phone. Apart from the services that can be accessible, Shashi Lakshmanan reflected how the smartphone enabled access to information on just about anything, without needing to step into a physical library. “I was also able to reconnect with a long-lost college friend thanks to Facebook!” Similarly, Jayashree Kumar, another member at Silver Talkies, is able to regularly connect with her children who live abroad, thanks to video calling.

However, what has been noted through various researchers and individual anecdotes is the gap in accessibility on smartphone-based tools. According to research by the Pew Research Centre, this accessibility gap arises from various factors: physical barriers like vision impairments and limited dexterity, which necessitate adaptive technology; technological barriers due to a lack of confidence and familiarity; and financial barriers. Additionally, attitudinal barriers play a role, with some seniors viewing technology as unnecessary or too complicated.

Another common concern is the threat to their privacy, exemplified by unauthorised selling of personal information online, and algorithm-based targetted ads. As social media platforms increasingly use sophisticated algorithms to tailor advertising, seniors are expressing heightened anxiety about their data security, and such concerns have been around for a while now: a Pew Research Centre’s study from 2019 in the US found that 58% of seniors worry about their personal data being exploited for advertising purposes, reflecting a growing awareness of these privacy issues. Additionally, research from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) underscores that older adults are particularly vulnerable to online scams and phishing attacks due to their less familiarity with digital privacy practices. This vulnerability is exacerbated by inadequate privacy protections on social media platforms, contributing to a significant rise in scams and fraud targeting seniors in 2020.

Then, there are other unexpected consequences: with the increased frequency of chatting online, a longitudinal study conducted across a decade found that reading skills had deteriorated significantly among teens. between 2009 and 2018 is sharpest in countries with strong increases in online chatting. Padma, another member of Silver Talkies, expressed her sorrow over losing her once-beloved reading routine. “The habit of slipping a bookmark between the pages of a book has been replaced by the habit of checking the phone before turning off the light at night,” she remarked.

Technology has greatly empowered seniors, enhancing their independence and self-reliance in various aspects of daily life. One research conducted in Bangalore in 2018 found that income, education level and social support affected the usage, perception and adoption of digital technology by seniors. It is widely accepted now that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of smartphones and social media by seniors worldwide. Silver Talkies proved invaluable during the pandemic, offering activities such as bhajan classes and music sessions, and connecting members across the country.

Even so, do the benefits of social media outweigh the disadvantages? It is obviously contextual. Some feel that social media has brought people closer, while others feel it has done the opposite. Some members of Silver Talkies felt that the magic of handmade birthday cards has been lost in the ubiquity of depersonalised forwarded messages.

As the Zoom conversation about the impact of social media in our lives drew to a close, I looked down at my iPad, to glance over the notes that I had taken. Meanwhile, Vishwanath Joshi had been taking notes with a pen in his notebook: keeping that raw hand-eye coordination and personal touch alive!