Seniors, it would seem, would be the least likely group to accept computer technology, but this isn't entirely true. Seniors often have more time and money to spend on the new technology than younger people do. Also, the general population is aging. According to the Sun-Sentinel newspaper in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., a retirement Mecca, adults age 55 and over are the fastest-growing group of new computer owners (Lorek 1994, D1).
The 1989 census data showed that only 4.6 percent of adults age 65 and over had a computer at home. Link Resources, a research and consulting firm, said the percentage of home computer owners over 55 jumped from 10 percent in 1988 to 14.2 percent in 1993 (Muha 1994, B3). The numbers drop as age increases. According to the National Association of Computer Users, only 9 percent of seniors age 60 to 69, and three percent of those in their 70s, own computers (Vial 1994, A1).
Seniors are using their computers for a variety of functions including letter and memoir writing, genealogy tracing, investment tracking, research, travel scheduling and, most importantly, communicating (Ramstad 1994, D12). Former President and First Lady George and Barbara Bush are reported to have become recent initiates into the personal computer world (Ramstad 1994, D12).
Not surprisingly, on-line services targeted to seniors are springing up, including America Online's SeniorNet, an on-line network for people over 55. SeniorNet's membership more than doubled from 6,000 subscribers in 1993 to 13,000 in 1994 (Muha 1994, B3). CompuServe has Senior Forum and Prodigy has Seniors' Bulletin Board, which includes a discussion group just for those "born in the twenties" (Vial 1994, A1). Both claim more than 200,000 subscribers (Lorek 1994, D1).
Senior on-line services offer information on "Social Security, health and medicine, computers, finances, families, cooking and more" (Lorek 1994, D1). Many also feature chat sessions, where seniors can meet and discuss a variety of topics (Lorek 1994, D1). A popular area on SeniorNet is called Generation to Generation and features a bulletin board-like service that allows seniors and children to correspond on subjects like careers, wars, politics and music (Lorek 1994, D1). There is also a trend of new computer literacy courses for seniors (Vial 1994, A1).