Topic 10 - Different People, Digital World

Week 5 (October 8-14), topic 10
Choose a minority group and describe how they can make use of Internet to reduce alienation and prejudice.

I would choose old people - so called digital immigrants in our information society. They are usually looking nowadays computer related technologies (including internet) as not necessary to them. But who is using, finds it helpful and useful.

There is widely known, that old people doesn't use computer, internet and its related solutions, communities at all. Therefore bringing old people to information society is quite important to establish better unity in our information society.

First example, which comes in my mind - apartment society moved to web based management. Then all apartment owners should enter their monthly water usage data into that environment. There are also old people, who are apartment owners.

Suddenly they discovered, that even living in apartment and paying for it isn't possible without computer and internet. Also that apartment society management environment on web is sending PDF-invoices by e-mail - so old people do need also e-mail account.

Second example - necessity to communicate with children and/or grandchildren - they are often using internet for that - especially VoIP-solutions (IP-phone, Skype, Linphone, Google Talk, Facebook phone). I guess the IP-phone is most convenient way for older people to talk over internet and usually it's free if numbers are in same network. Then older people can call over internet without computer and often free. E.g. in Estonia (and also other countries) there is Linxtelecom, which offers IP-phone service - internal calls are free and outside network calling is also cheaper than usual.

I can bring one example using IP-phone with old people. One Estonian guy took his wife from Peru, Latin America. They came to Estonia but his wife would like to talk with her parents at Latin America quite often. Sometimes to teach using computers to old people would not possible - if they are very old, have visual impairments etc. So that Estonian guy bought two cheap IP-phone devices Grandstream BT-102. These devices had large LCD screen and buttons - perfect for older people. Then was calling to daughter in Estonia quite easy and free of charge - that Estonian guy used same device and service - so calls were free between Estonia and Peru over internet. You may imagine, how much there is to discuss :)

IP phone (Wikipedia)

Videophone over IP (Wikipedia)

Nowadays there is also videoconversations quite usual. So, this can be also environmental saving when there can be avoid travelling using fossil fuel based vehicles - usually are grandparents living in somewhere rural area far from their children or grandchildren. Also for people with visual impairments are solutions.

Skype videophone AiGuru SV1 from Asus - ideal for older people

 TelyHD brings Skype and other features to communicate in simple way

Free and open source softphone Ekiga supports also SIP protocol for IP phones
(for Windows, Linux, Mac OS)

Also free and open source Linphone brings SIP protocol support to Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Android, iPhone, Blackberry

Third example - using e-governmental and other e-services. In rural area there might be such services like banking or take some application to local government quite far away or even missing. Here comes the internet with e-services as almost only one solution for older people, especially at rural area. Then even older people will learn computers/internet and its software usage.

Gradually older people will discover also other possibilities of internet - reading news, e-mail or even listening radio or watching TV (e.g. in Estonia). After digital television coming there are also problems with regular radio waves - often is radio listening over internet only one solution - even in some cities (e.g. in Estonia). Also some older people know some foreign languages - there is also possible to read/listen/watch media in other languages, which would be without internet almost impossible due to its expenses on paper versions and often they aren't sold in rural areas.

Conclusion
When older people needs such internet-related services and devices - they need some assistance (by children or grandchildren) but it is possible, that they will start using them. There is also important if there are programs in motherlanguage - often older people doesn't know English. But using free and open source software (FOSS) brings more and better translated software to everyone.

Childrens or grandchildrens will sometimes give computer as gift to their parents or grandparents - this will help to bring also older people with low income into information society. Also using FOSS helps to reduce the cost of computer acquisition and usage.

In rural area sometimes is also mobile internet needed. This is not a problem, because data transfer limits for old people are more than enough - e.g. 3G/4G has enough limit (in Estonia 4G has currently 30 GB and 3G has 15 GB per month) - you can even configure computer to automatically receive updates and you can also watch videos/TV or listen radio over internet. This will also change in Estonia due to EstWin project, which brings cable-internet to every rural centre.