Is it possible to age gracefully yet lead an active lifestyle in the digital age?
‘Can you please record the talk?’ said my mom. ‘…for at least 30 minutes’ she added. It about recording Sheikh Yusuf Estes’ evening talk at Universiti Sains Malaysia that I planned to go.
‘Oh… my hands will get tired. How about short ones, 5-10 minutes?’ I negotiated.
She agreed.
My mom is 74 years old. A retired teacher who has been teaching for 30 years. She taught at public secondary schools firstly in Perak, where she started her service in 1969 and met my late dad, then Kuala Lumpur and Penang, where she now retires. Almost 20 years into her retirement yet… she keeps abreast of technology.
‘You just need to press the button, kaaann*?’ my mom is referring to recording the talk using my mobile phone. ‘Baik Mama…’ was my reply. Who can argue with that?
We are now living in the digital age. When we open our eyes in the morning, the first thing we reach out is probably our mobile phones. Either to snooze or stop the alarm. No longer the loud banging alarm clocks, if you know which one I mean. And our mobile devices provides news much quicker than the newspaper. For instance, I received the news about Malaysia’s much anticipated General Election-14 (GE-14) on my Whatsapp groups and Facebook feeds as soon as it was announced. Anyone with a mobile device or digital SLR (DLSR) cameras can record good to high definition (HD) videos. Just press the button, as my mom said.
Mobile devices occupy quite significant space in our daily lives, thanks to inexpensive or affordable high tech products. In many ways, advances in mobile technology have lowered barriers, provided greater and quicker access and opportunities to knowledge and information, education and communications.
How open are we in harnessing technology towards the greater good?
My mom’s insistence of recording the talk with my smartphone was in stark contrast to my experience earlier in that morning.
Earlier that morning, I attended a talk by Prof. Muhd Kamil Ibrahim, fondly known as Prof. MKI. He is one of the sought-after motivational speakers and author of many Islamic books. His books are written from his personal experiences as an academician and administrator at universities in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. My favourite books of Prof MKI are Bersyukur saad diuji and Anekdota Madinah.
As usual, I’d come in 5-10 minutes earlier than the scheduled time. No one was around but the speaker was already there (I learned later, he arrived since 8.30 am even though the talk was supposed to start at 9.30 am). Turned out Prof. MKI’s wife, Puan Roza, was also there. She is also a best-selling author (Amirul Budan Sudan) with many fans, bringing in her perspectives as wife and mother. So we got talking about good writing habits and what made Puan Roza started writing, when a guest joined our little crowd.
The guest introduced herself as the head teacher for an Islamic kindergarten. That she was quite happy that she’s able to ‘catch’ Prof MKI for her school–to give a talk that Saturday, knowing how crowded his schedules can be. The head teacher continued that she made sure every teacher at her kindergarten come to the talk, despite that week being school holidays. School holidays here means quality time for parents with kids, and relatives. And… not forgetting lots of wedding invites and get-togethers.
So I suggested why not use FB Live for those teachers who probably had prior commitments on that Saturday. I added it’s really simple to setup using your smartphone. Teachers can view from their own phone, and you can check who’s online or not…
Their reactions stopped me on my track. I could their eyes were getting bigger and bigger and rolled up, especially the head teacher’s. I realised that perhaps the thought of using technology makes some teachers squirm and uncomfortable. Or perhaps the reactions were due to the thought of few turn-ups, as a result of the convenience afforded by technology? The head teacher then insisted for the teachers must come since the speaker had agreed to come.
Active ageing in the digital age
So in one day, I witnessed two opposing reactions from a retired teacher and a head teacher, the former is perhaps 20+ years senior. Both probably have gone through various teaching aids and technologies promoted in teaching & learning during their times. My mom, a grandma to digital natives, Z- and alpha-generations, still uses a clunky landline phone and doesn’t own a smart phone (unlike the head teacher). Yet displays an open and receptive attitude towards technology in learning and sharing new things. How refreshing!
In sum, I can’t help but think, age does not matter. One can be 60, 70 or 80+ years old and use technologies (Instagram or Skype) to connect with grandchildren, have own Youtube channel with huge fans and followers or create apps. Take for example, Masako Wakamiya who is a 81 years old grandmother. She learns how to setup and use a computer in her 60s. She claims that she’s not a tech-savvy person. What motivated her at first was connecting with her families and friends. Then she ventured into coding, and recently launched an iPhone app Hinadan and maintains a blog on creating artwork with Excel.
Perhaps what matters most is how one views the world from the inner landscape. One’s personal values, belief and attitudes. One’s willingness to learn, adapt to changing times. Be open to opportunities to expand and deepen our world view in the digital age.
I believe in our capacity to learn new things even as we grow older. As long as the grey cells are still there… Many ways to age gracefully and actively with technology. Learn to be digitally literate–and stay relevant to younger generations.
*Note: ~kan, ~kaaann, ~lah, ~bah are used as suffixes by Malaysians to express and emphasise certain emotions-whether positive or negative.
