Social Media – elektronischer Kontakt besser als gar kein Kontakt?
Deutsche Senioren sind Social Media Muffel – so steht es in einem Artikel der ‘Welt’. Eine Grafik wird dort gleich mitgeliefert, die uns zeigt, dass jüngere Menschen etwa doppelt so oft in sozialen Netzwerken vertreten sind als die älteren. Aber jetzt kommt’s: Mit ‘ältere Menschen’ sind hier nicht etwa erst die Leute ab dem Rentenalter gemeint, sondern all diejenigen, die das 35ste Lebensjahr hinter sich haben. Ja, wie kommunizieren wir denn jetzt bloß mit denjenigen, die sich nur im Internet tummeln? Viele jüngere haben ja nicht mal mehr den altbekannten grundsoliden Festnetzanschluss!
Technically out of touch in your mid-thirties?
The younger generation has grown up with modern technology, they don't know any other world. In their mid-thirties, however, there are still some of us who have experienced telephones with dials, who couldn't even make a quick call home while on the road and who can still remember the beeping of the first dial-up modems. And the older generation still largely prefers to rely on the information provided by the traditional daily newspaper or the public television channels. As a result, they are less interested in the online world, which means they are less engaged with the subject, and this in turn leads to less use of other features such as social media. This is a great pity. Because especially in today's age of strong mobility, where one's family no longer necessarily lives permanently in the same town and many of one's friends from the past also no longer live within sight of the village church, it becomes all the more important not to let contact break off. The bad news: what our children and grandchildren manage to do so effortlessly from an early age, we first have to learn. The good news: we CAN learn it.
Young on Snapchat, old on Facebook?
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - when it comes to social media, opinions differ. Twitter is for egocentrics in need of communication, Instagram is only for women and their cupcake recipes, and teenagers have fled to Snapchat after noticing that their parents' generation now has accounts on Facebook, while the grandparents' generation believes that 'this internet' will never catch on..... Rumours and half-truths of this kind mainly refer to the 'supposed' respective target group of the respective social medium and - ... reduce their users to demographic characteristics.
In fact, however, it depends on the respective use of the same. Each of these media serves a certain main need of the user. Of course, senior citizens have a different need and a different form of communication than their children and grandchildren, and of course each age group tends to find itself in one medium or the other, because what use is the best account on Snapchat if all our friends are on Facebook?
But what exactly do we want? Do we want to be in touch with our friends of the same age? Do we want to hear from our daughter (link to article: Suddenly the kids are big - what you can do when it gets quiet in the house) to see photos of how she has furnished her student digs in another city? Or are we looking for contact with people who are simply interested in the same topics regardless of the platform? Is a short but up-to-date WhatsApp really preferable to a personal but only weekly phone call?
Do social media make us lonely or do they make it easier to stay in touch?
As with so many things, it depends on how you use the tool. Social media tend to make us lonely if we prefer to spend nights chatting with internet acquaintances instead of just going out on the street and talking to the neighbours or paying a visit to our best friend. It depends on the quality of the relationship. But if you use social media in a targeted way, they are a real treasure for our contacts and our support in lonely hours. If the family lives in another city or even another country, every means should be available to keep in touch, and social media in particular offer many opportunities to do so. Chat functions, voice messages, sending and receiving pictures or even a video chat allow us to participate directly in each other's lives. We can then see in real time what the other person's mood is at the moment. We experience at first hand how expectantly the grandchild slides next to the person sitting next to him on his first day at school. We are happy to hear the voice of a loved one, at least in a voice message, when we can hardly reach him or her by phone... Because that's exactly where the point lies: the old familiar media such as a letter or a phone call are indeed a very personal contact, but unfortunately also not always possible. And when they are, the information often comes with a time delay and is therefore only indirect, since the delivery of a letter takes two days and a telephone call requires a simultaneous time window of at least two people. How nice it is, then, when a short video captures the moment and we don't just get it described in ex post facto. A WhatsApp in between informs us about a small highlight in the course of the day that might not be mentioned in a phone call later on. In general, there is nothing to be said against creating accounts in different social networks, because this way you have a suitable contact option for each of your loved ones and for every desired format (photo, video, chat, text,...).
Senior tablets - the easy way online
Even though older people in Germany lag behind in an international comparison and only use social media by just over 40%, on the other hand it is still just over 40%. Because that means that interest in social media is definitely there. Often it is the newly retired who then find the necessary peace and quiet with their new free time to familiarise themselves with the unfamiliar medium without stress. But it is made even easier with special senior tablets. With these, you can quickly achieve your first sense of achievement, even without any previous knowledge. A touchscreen with large symbols makes it easy to use, even for people with limited mobility. Access to the internet and social networks is very easy. If you pay attention to quality and the desired functions when buying, you will enjoy the device for a long time.
