Boomers instill their own values in technology

Sponsors of the report “Boomers and Technology: An Extended Conversation” invited over 240 boomers to discuss technology and how they use it. Some of the key findings:

• While boomers agreed that technology is becoming easier to use, they typically blame manufacturers for making products unnecessarily difficult to use, or not presenting instructions clearly.
• Privacy is a major concern; the report cites data from a recent study that shows only 34 percent of boomers are comfortable with Internet sites that personalize content for them. However, 52 percent were reassured by clearly presented privacy policies.
• Boomers are enthusiastic about applying technology to health care. In fact, they are 98 percent more likely to visit health Web sites than the average Internet user. While only a small percentage of participants were already using electronic health records, they were unanimously satisfied with the technology.
• One popular technology among participants was voice input and output, however, they insisted on flexibility.