Making my way in a vastly different world

Whenever I write I’m always proud to say I’m a baby boomer or senior citizen. A baby boomer is someone born between 1946 and 1964; we are a powerful social economic force, and control a vast majority of national wealth (over $100 trillion.) President Donald Trump is a baby boomer. A senior citizen is an older adult; 65 or older. Baby boomers know how to save money for retirement, manage assets and know how to dig a hole or work a hard physical day.

 

The younger generations are now educated and prepared to live in the world of 2026. They can operate a smart phone with ease, and navigate electronics where everything has become an app, code, portal, etc. 

 

We have become a society that forces an 80-year-old senior to use a smartphone. Baby boomers, who did so much to make this country great, now find themselves feeling illiterate as they try to complete daily tasks. Booking medical appointments, paying a bill, watching TV, using a coupon and finding a phone number become frustrating and difficult. I’m sure that a number of seniors feel that technology should serve everyone and not discriminate, since they now require the help of a son, daughter, grandchild, or neighbor to help them succeed using new technology.

 

My wife Lisa is content to live with her I-pad. Every day she checks her Facebook, Instagram, and maybe TikTok. She keeps up with interesting posts from others and friends and can wish extend birthday greetings. Lisa also has a membership on Amazon and we get free deliveries on all of our orders. Needless to say, you can order anything on Amazon. We now do most of our Christmas shopping online.

 

I own a cell phone. It is a must at our cabin. It serves me fine; I can call others, take pictures and share them, chat with others, and google my questions on the internet. I become frustrated finding others' cell phone numbers. There are no more phone books; good old-fashioned landlines are becoming limited. We still have three phones in the house with old-fashioned answering machines. Will I ever get a smart phone??? NEVER!!

 

Media Com is our choice for cable. Our TVs, phones, and internet are all serviced and billed through Media Com. At present we are not streaming or buying athletic events on Peacock, Hulu, or whatever. Netflix is an absolute must. We are at the mercy of phone lines and internet, and seem to have daily TV problems with all of the new high-speed updates. Costs for service keep increasing, making our necessities very expensive. Will we ever change? Maybe?? Cable and landlines may be gone and obsolete in the near future. Most of our bills are paid with autopay, but we still do mail out a few checks. I still carry cash and a couple of credit cards in my wallet. I’ve had several experiences where stores have had their computers go down and I couldn’t use a credit card. Cash became very handy in making the purchase. The new generations now pay many of their bills on an app called Venmo. Will they ever write a check? Probably not. Will I ever pay a bill using Venmo? Perhaps–when the way I pay bills no longer exists.

 

An app now exists called GPT, an artificial intelligence chat box that generates human-like communication. GPT can answer questions searching the web and even offer advice. It can draft emails, find answers and maybe write a paper. It is grammatically flawless. Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned Cliff notes? Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned cursive writing? Would I choose to be a teacher in today’s world? Maybe.

 

AI has been on the news many times lately. AI stands for Artificial Intelligence and is defined as: a branch of computer science focused on building smart machines and software capable of performing tasks that normally require human intelligence.

 

I recently had breakfast with a grandson who graduated from Mankato West this spring and has already earned two years of college credits from MSU. I asked him the most popular question every grandfather asks a grandson, “What are you going to major in?” “What do want to be when you grow up?” He wants to either be a CEO in a major company or work with financial advisors. He enjoys working with statistics, which is crucial in financial planning. He then said, “Who knows what’s in store for financial planning?” With the emergence of AI, maybe people will make financial calls to robots who offer advice, the human element will be gone. The younger generation is just fine; they are in tune with ever changing technology. My grandson will never qualify to be a “baby boomer.”