How to Navigate the New World as a Generation Baby Boomer

Listen up, those of you who were born between 1946 to 1964, known as the baby boomer generation. Times are a changing rapidly, and we are no longer sitting around listening to our wirelesses, waiting for the TV to warm up to watch the latest episode of “The Lone Ranger”, or using our dial-up telephones to make phone calls. There is a whole new world of technology and societal changes that we need to keep abreast with.

How to navigate the new world as a generation baby boomer can be stressful and baffling all at once. I often see the frustration on the faces of my generation trying to operate a smart phone, smart TV, install an internet modem, or even operating an oven or other electrical appliance. I often hear people’s conversations of how they hate this new world. They wonder why can’t it just go back to the good old days when everything was simple and uncomplicated.

Modern Life Challenges

Life in these modern times moves at a rapid pace, combined with technological advances, workplace demands, social media influences, and rising living costs. There is definitely more pressure on people today to juggle a work/life balance and keep up the pretence of a high standard of appearance and happiness.

We are more informed and connected than ever. The internet has changed the world forever and we can now talk to or text people on the other side of the world. We can see images of our friends on social media. We can get the latest news updates online 24/7. We can do most things without ever having to leave the house.

But for some people of my generation this constant barrage of information is all encompassing and can lead to digital fatigue. As The Eagles so aptly put it in their song Hotel California – “We are all just prisoners here, of our own device.”

There is such a thing now called a “digital detox”, whereby one surrenders all of their electronic devices and completely escapes the rat race. This is where I believe my generation have an advantage over the current generations. We weren’t bought up in the digital age and many of us can take it or leave it. We can actually go to a restaurant without our mobile phones and be present. Some of us can also go on a holiday and not post one photo on social media.

In many ways generation baby boomers had less pressure on them when we were raising kids and trying to pay off a mortgage. We lived simply and weren’t that materialistic, so there were less demands.

Keeping up with Technology

If you’re a person who never worked with a computer or other forms of modern technology, then it can be challenging learning how to use one. I hear older people say all the time that they don’t need a computer and that they don’t want to learn. However, a lot of tasks are now performed online. Things like banking, paying bills, making a reservation, signing up for a membership, purchasing goods and making contact with organisations.

My advice is to make use of the younger generation. Ask them to sit down with you and show you how to use a computer or iPad. Take written notes and practice using the computer as much as possible. Otherwise, attend free courses at your local library or make use of the free workshops at your Apple store (if you’re using an Apple device).

Read articles and take notice of new innovations with technology. Keep up to date, because technology is rapidly changing and what you’re doing today can change in a heartbeat. It is also important to listen to the younger generation and ask them to explain new technology to you.

You will soon discover that technology can be a game changer and make your life a lot easier. It can put you back in contact with friends and family. It can entertain you when you are bored. Who doesn’t play games on their electronic devices? Download books or listen to podcasts. It’s a wonderful way to keep your brain active.

What is AI?

AI, or artificial intelligence, is the use of computer systems to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making and translation between languages. A good example of this is the voice assistant (Siri) on your mobile phone that can perform simple tasks on command.

It can be a great tool for education, writing an article or essay, editing photos, and obtaining information or instructions. The greatest advantage of AI is that it significantly reduces errors and increases accuracy. For example, the use of robots in surgical procedures.

The downside of AI is that it can generate sensitive or harmful content, or can allow malicious actors to easily create convincing scams, disinformation or abusive material. So be aware of the misuse of this technology.

So the next time you use an app on your phone or tablet, like Google Maps, Alexa, Siri, OK Google, Cortana, taking selfies, making calls, or responding to emails, you’re in the hands of AI in some instances.

Embracing Societal Changes

The past six decades has come with a multitude of societal changes. Things like: Women’s rights, environmentalism, civil rights, sexual orientation and gender identity, working from home, smoking attitudes, E-commerce and equality trends. The world is a different place to when generation baby boomers were growing up. It is the “woke” generation.

1. The traditional roles of women and men have changed dramatically. A majority of households are double income. Parenting and household chores are more commonly shared between spouses. Parents don’t smack their children nor allow them to be intimidated by people in authority.
   
2. We have a society of “political correctness” and can no longer use terms to offend or marginalize groups. It is no longer acceptable to refer to people as a homosexual or poof, a nigger or coon, a wog or dago, spastic, dumb, fat, deaf – to name a few. We also should not refer to women as being the weaker sex and label as being housewives, domestic labourers or sex objects.
   
3. There is another social problem in this digital age, with its constant stream of notifications and social media updates. Too much time spent online can often dull the quality of our interactions, leaving us feeling more isolated despite being more connected than ever before. Face to face contact is becoming less and even dating is now carried out online.

We’re faced with so much change, that it is difficult to accept some of the new rules of society. Many people I interact with constantly complain about the way the world is going and how they don’t want to conform. But, it’s a matter of either embracing societal changes, or being labelled as a bigot and behind the times.

Don’t Believe Everything you See or Hear

In this new world of AI and fake news, it’s easy to believe everything you see or hear in the media or online. There’s so much of it out there. You need to keep an open mind and not be caught up in this propaganda. It is often emotion based over logic, providing selective and one-sided information to serve political or commercial agendas.

When we are constantly watching the news on one TV station or reading one newspaper we’re getting a biased view of the world. It’s the same as what we’re reading on social media. Once you align to a certain belief the algorithm picks up on this and then posts similar content on your page. For example, in an emotional response after the Bondi Beach shootings, I started following a couple of “Australia First” accounts. Before I knew it I was being inundated with similar posts.

Similarly, when you’re having a conversation with a friend or acquaintance. Some of their views are not always based on actual facts. They often pick up their information from one source of media or on social media. I find myself questioning people at times and asking the question “where did you get this information from”? You need to be careful about what you hear on the grapevine and base your opinions upon what you actually know is factual.

Utilising Social Media Safely

Social media has many advantages. It is a way to make contact with old friends and family. It is great for seeing images of new babies, marriages and celebrations. I also love to see other people’s holiday photos. I really enjoy keeping in contact with my friends and family, who otherwise I wouldn’t see in person.

However, it does have a downside. In the news lately there is a lot about how social media can become addictive. It can also impact on a person’s body image and contentment. When we constantly get barraged with images of beautiful, shiny and happy people and start comparing ourselves, it can become a big problem.

My advice is to take out of social media what you want and what you like. Don’t believe everything you read and see, and don’t allow it to take over your life.

Be aware that there are fake accounts, cloned accounts and creepy people on social media. Always be cautious with people that are over-friendly or start to love bomb you. Don’t divulge too many personal details about yourself and set your privacy settings very high to stop anyone and everyone looking at your profile.

Accepting the Digital Age

Gone are the good old days of quality service and face-to-face contact. A lot of our business dealings, banking transactions or shopping is carried out online these days. Most large companies, like: energy providers, telecommunications, insurance companies and banks use call centres for customer service. Many of these call centres are located overseas. So there’s no such thing as loyalty or personalised customer service anymore.

I have certainly thrown my phone down in frustration at times being in lengthy phone queues trying to contact a service provider. Then when you do finally talk to a real person, you need to go through an ID process before being told that you need to be transferred to another department.

So no wonder generation baby boomers gets totally frustrated and mystified by the digital age. We’re treated like we’re numbers and as if we already possess good technical skills. When in fact a lot of us struggle with doing the easiest transaction.

People my age are always complaining about lack of customer service and the long amount of time they spend in a phone queue. They reminisce about when they could go into their banks and deposit or withdraw money from their accounts using an actual bank teller. Others remember when you got great customer service in a shop or by a service provider.

Unfortunately, we have to face the reality that this is how the new world is and complaining about it is not going to revert it back to how is once was.

Socialising in the Modern World

Many of us talk to our friends, partners, family and acquaintances by text message or by using chat apps like Google Chat, WhatsApp or Messenger. I can spend hours sometimes chatting to different people using these apps. It’s a great way of connecting and keeping in touch.

I keep thinking about the old days when socialising meant going out and meeting face to face. We went to dances or pubs to meet potential boyfriends, we hung out with our girlfriends in our homes or at the shopping mall, and we went around to visit our parents, grandparents and relatives. Texting only became popular in the early to mid-2000s.

We can sit at home in our pjyamas all day if we like and text people, rather than getting dressed and leaving home to meet up with friends. We can use dating apps to meet potential boyfriends or girlfriends online. It’s like shopping, where we get to select something we fancy and add it to our shopping cart!

However, I’m happy to report that most people of my generation still like to go out to socialise. We get together often for coffee or lunch, play sports, play cards, become members of a club or go out to listen to live music. I think this is something that will never change. There is still a human need to actually touch another human being, whether it’s a handshake, a hug or a peck on the cheek. Nothing beats this!