“Old People Facebook”: 45 Times Old People Used Social Media And It Resulted In Comedy Gold
While millennials couldn’t imagine their lives without social media, and generation Z entirely grew up with technology, there are people who’re genuinely struggling to make sense of this whole new tech world. Just think of your grandma and grandpa searching for the letter T on the keyboard in what feels like a solid hour-long bender.
But hey, at least they’re trying hard, and some are even learning to share a story on Facebook, call via Whatsapp, and hang out on Zoom meetings. Well, maybe not the last one.
And there’s something so charming about elderly people navigating the complex terrain of the tech world that there’s a whole subreddit, r/oldpeoplefacebook, dedicated entirely to it. Created in 2013, the community has 1 million members sharing the fun, cute, and sometimes cringe-worthy moments of elders walking in the internet jungle. “Grandma and grandpa have finally joined social media, and they love sharing their opinions with everyone,” states the description.
And as your phone buzzes with a new notification from your grandma streaming live to show how pretty her re-potted geranium looks, let me tell you, this post—you can relate.
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My Father In Law Likes To Caption Pictures Of My Pets On Facebook
According to a 2018 Eurostat study, 87 percent of people in Europe who are aged 75 years and over have never been online. This is partly because most current technology is designed in a way that relies on users’ ability to see, hear, and read. But many elderly are struggling to do so due to their age and health conditions.
Another study conducted by Pew Research showed that 23% of elderly people in US have a “physical or health condition that makes reading difficult or challenging.” Meanwhile, 29% said they suffer from “disability, handicap, or chronic disease that prevents them from fully participating in many common daily activities.”
The same study suggested that seniors would need assistance to learn to use social media or tech devices. Only 18% of seniors expressed that they’re comfortable with learning how to use a new technology device, and 77% said that they would rely on someone else helping them.
Emergency Assistance Needed
Among many reasons why seniors are less likely to learn to use technology are reduced mobility and reactivity. Some elders are less likely to absorb new knowledge since they never got accustomed to technology throughout their lives, so this is truly an uncharted and very challenging terrain for them. Others struggle with touch screens due to hardened hand skin, poor eyesight, and reduced reaction.
At the end of the day, everyone is responsible for being more accepting towards seniors using technology, even if it sometimes means you should overlook their not-always-perfect attempts to master it.
My 97 Year Old Grandpa Is On Facebook. A Couple Of Years Ago He Liked A Photo Of Mine, So He Printed The Whole Page To Display It In His Home
Granny Messaged To Wish Me Luck On My Test
My Mom Accidentally Included A Picture Of Me Sleeping In An Ad She Posted
On A Photo Of My Fiance
Apple Sauce Price At Walmart
I know this will be me in a one day, hope my kid/grandkids are sweetly patient too:)
My Grandmothers Comment On My Photo Of Me And My 15 Year Old Cat
My Late Father, Chuck, Had To Use Speech-To-Text Which LED To Some Amazing Posts
My Uncle Just Left This Comment On His Own Picture Of A Frog. There Are No Other Comments Or Likes
My Late Grandmother Figuring Out Her Phone
60 Year Old Coworker Has Been Texting Me Everyday For Over A Year
Not Sure If This Belongs But This Picture My Dad Gave Me For Christmas
Found This On Facebook Marketplace And Cant Stop Thinking About It
"Even more surprisingly, the purchaser discovered that it was actually not a reflection, but a small enamel artwork. Tomorrow, on marketplace mysteries...who are the people buying the poorly executed crafts? You won't believe their stories! Until next time, dear viewers"
Cher Accidentally Turning On Night Mode And Nancy Sinatra Telling Her To Restart...amazing
Please Not The Attorney General
Grandma Said She Was In The Middle Of The Atlantic Late Last Night With No Extra Explanation
Funny! Also, I’m Dying
Congrats Jeff
When My Grandfather Has To Log Into Facebook, He Creates A New Account Instead. Today Is His Birthday
Lady Compliments My Profile Pic. Then 4 Months Later Mistakenly Thanks Me For Complimenting Hers
Kys
Wow, they invent their own acronyms and think everyone will get the meaning...
Note: this post originally had 89 images. It’s been shortened to the top 44 images based on user votes.
There should be an equivalent for young people. "Young people trying to use rotary phones" or something. Most of Gen Z seem to have trouble working desktop computers as well.
Let them wait a few decades and they will be on the other side of this :D
How many of them could have just kept up with the changes that started in the early 1960s?
Yes. I see young people struggling with rotary phones on a daily basis.
Quazmodic +
Quazmodic lol
Quazmodic haha
Quazmodic easy
Quazmodic like
There actually is a subreddit, r/youngpeopleyoutube
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
The difference is the older people are in charge of teaching younger people, so any gap in technological knowledge is the fault of the older people. It’s also the older people’s responsibility to learn new technologies as they age so making fun of younger people is not the equivalent. Once you get a computer, learn how to use it
#2 Sorry, I do not think a good parent teaches their children everything they need to know. I saw my job as preparing my son to succeed without my help. He would need to know more than I do. We taught him how to learn on his own. Library books to start with, then the proper training. We both swam competitively. When he decided he wanted to, we found the right type of classes, with trained instructors. We did not learn to play soccer or lacrosse before he did. When he was young, he was given the opportunity/asked to pick out his own clothes, how his hair was cut, etc. We were always there to help, we did not abandon him. When he started to drive he took care of these things, stunned boys his age needed their mother to get a hair cut. I am an artist, he designs cell phone towers. Different skill sets. My parents worked in the high tech world. Neither taught us how to use a computer or program. They gave us the tools to figure it out on our own.
Technology has caused the biggest gap of knowledge between generations since the industrial revolution: that was the last time where innovation moved so quick that we had a generation who couldn't teach their kids from their own experience, as the world had changed so quickly. That is what has happened now. My knowledge of vcrs, ataris, early windows and other tech is of no use to my son. I can't teach him when computers have and continue to advance so quickly. Also I think kids naturally/more easily pick up this stuff than adults, as in their eyes this tech has always been there. I'm only in my early 30s, and yet I'm already "obsolete" in terms of my technology knowledge I acquired growing up.
You can't be serious? Things added during my younger years: answering machines, call waiting, portable phones- cell phones, zip+4, cable tv, calculators, computers, the internet, videos, DVDs, seatbelts, airbags, right turn on red, TV remote controls, microwaves, minivans, SUVs other than Jeep's, and so much more. Many of the things in our daily lives changed. It was a lot to learn, quickly. Some things were immediately forced on us, like zip+4, other things expensive and not needed. A calculator was expensive. Not everyone had one when I was in high school. Imagine that!
That's a ridiculous notion.
Xatia L -
Xatia L no
I found this kind of condescending. Some of these 'cute' old people lived through wars, most raised families, had jobs, friends they may have lost, etc. They've seen so many changes and mostly kept up.
Thank you! The world changed tremendously in the last sixty years. Yes, and we all kept up. Maybe not to everyone's standards. Cute and old? Me? Oh my.
The fact that they are trying is wonderful! I give them props. I reeeeally hope people were posting these to show how cute it was and not to be mean or disrespectful.
This comment has been deleted.
Some of these just make my heart ache for all the people who are just so confused by technology that has taken over so much of their lives. I want to help them all.
Its' actually party of my job to help people confused by technology (and they're not always elders, also people who couldn't study for long, newly arrived immigrants, etc.). Sometimes it's funny, no really big issues, sometimes (rarely) there are embarrassing, facepalm situations because the person is plain stupid ; but most of the time it's just infuriating. The way that online administration is genuinely designed and MEANT to get people confused, lost, feel left alone, and make them give up what they would have the right to claim (like social welfare)... And governments still pretending that doing everything online from home is "more practical" and "environment-friendly" (yeah, let's all get permanently connected, let's create billions of smart objects that use pollutant materials, let's build giant data centers to run all that sh*t H24 with massive refrigeration system to cool it down - it's all virtual and has no impact on the environment). Disgusting.
Don't be too worried. People figure out ways around it. An older neighbor paid me, $5, to make airline reservations, get travel visas, and many other "simple" task. it was easy money, just not a lot.
Jo Choto ?
There should be an equivalent for young people. "Young people trying to use rotary phones" or something. Most of Gen Z seem to have trouble working desktop computers as well.
Let them wait a few decades and they will be on the other side of this :D
How many of them could have just kept up with the changes that started in the early 1960s?
Yes. I see young people struggling with rotary phones on a daily basis.
Quazmodic +
Quazmodic lol
Quazmodic haha
Quazmodic easy
Quazmodic like
There actually is a subreddit, r/youngpeopleyoutube
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
The difference is the older people are in charge of teaching younger people, so any gap in technological knowledge is the fault of the older people. It’s also the older people’s responsibility to learn new technologies as they age so making fun of younger people is not the equivalent. Once you get a computer, learn how to use it
#2 Sorry, I do not think a good parent teaches their children everything they need to know. I saw my job as preparing my son to succeed without my help. He would need to know more than I do. We taught him how to learn on his own. Library books to start with, then the proper training. We both swam competitively. When he decided he wanted to, we found the right type of classes, with trained instructors. We did not learn to play soccer or lacrosse before he did. When he was young, he was given the opportunity/asked to pick out his own clothes, how his hair was cut, etc. We were always there to help, we did not abandon him. When he started to drive he took care of these things, stunned boys his age needed their mother to get a hair cut. I am an artist, he designs cell phone towers. Different skill sets. My parents worked in the high tech world. Neither taught us how to use a computer or program. They gave us the tools to figure it out on our own.
Technology has caused the biggest gap of knowledge between generations since the industrial revolution: that was the last time where innovation moved so quick that we had a generation who couldn't teach their kids from their own experience, as the world had changed so quickly. That is what has happened now. My knowledge of vcrs, ataris, early windows and other tech is of no use to my son. I can't teach him when computers have and continue to advance so quickly. Also I think kids naturally/more easily pick up this stuff than adults, as in their eyes this tech has always been there. I'm only in my early 30s, and yet I'm already "obsolete" in terms of my technology knowledge I acquired growing up.
You can't be serious? Things added during my younger years: answering machines, call waiting, portable phones- cell phones, zip+4, cable tv, calculators, computers, the internet, videos, DVDs, seatbelts, airbags, right turn on red, TV remote controls, microwaves, minivans, SUVs other than Jeep's, and so much more. Many of the things in our daily lives changed. It was a lot to learn, quickly. Some things were immediately forced on us, like zip+4, other things expensive and not needed. A calculator was expensive. Not everyone had one when I was in high school. Imagine that!
That's a ridiculous notion.
Xatia L -
Xatia L no
I found this kind of condescending. Some of these 'cute' old people lived through wars, most raised families, had jobs, friends they may have lost, etc. They've seen so many changes and mostly kept up.
Thank you! The world changed tremendously in the last sixty years. Yes, and we all kept up. Maybe not to everyone's standards. Cute and old? Me? Oh my.
The fact that they are trying is wonderful! I give them props. I reeeeally hope people were posting these to show how cute it was and not to be mean or disrespectful.
This comment has been deleted.
Some of these just make my heart ache for all the people who are just so confused by technology that has taken over so much of their lives. I want to help them all.
Its' actually party of my job to help people confused by technology (and they're not always elders, also people who couldn't study for long, newly arrived immigrants, etc.). Sometimes it's funny, no really big issues, sometimes (rarely) there are embarrassing, facepalm situations because the person is plain stupid ; but most of the time it's just infuriating. The way that online administration is genuinely designed and MEANT to get people confused, lost, feel left alone, and make them give up what they would have the right to claim (like social welfare)... And governments still pretending that doing everything online from home is "more practical" and "environment-friendly" (yeah, let's all get permanently connected, let's create billions of smart objects that use pollutant materials, let's build giant data centers to run all that sh*t H24 with massive refrigeration system to cool it down - it's all virtual and has no impact on the environment). Disgusting.
Don't be too worried. People figure out ways around it. An older neighbor paid me, $5, to make airline reservations, get travel visas, and many other "simple" task. it was easy money, just not a lot.
Jo Choto ?