The mental impact of technology on boomers

Rapidly advancing technologies can have a psychological impact on the elderly that leaves them feeling isolated and redundant

- Divya Naik

Prasad Khare, 68, rues that his generation has become obsolete, to say the least. "I can't get my grandkids to read a book and in the same breath, I cannot understand the concept of AI and ML (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) either." Khare says that a lot of his friends feel the same way. "In a recent get-together of my school friends, we were all reminiscing how things were simpler back in the day and how these days, it is very difficult for us to grapple with what's happening around us and fit in. We all have become rusty old furniture."

Khare's sentiment is echoed by that of Anita Iyer, 56, who feels that "the world is changing at an ungodly pace and we're all just stationary parts in it." Iyer laments that though she does want to work and be a part of this changing world, it is difficult to do so with the way technology has evolved and how the cultural fabric of the world has changed with it.

The last season of Marvelous Mrs Maisel reflects this in one of its episodes where Mrs Maisel's father, Abe, is sitting at a dinner table with his colleagues and the group ponders over how society has changed overtime and whether or not this change is for the better. Our society's rapid pace of progress may lead many in the older generation to feel that their skills and values are becoming obsolete, exacerbating communication gaps with the younger generation.