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Leader: The cure for ageism in IT
The industry won't win silver surfers until it's fixed its own age problems

By silicon.com

Published: Thursday 09 March 2006

The UK is lagging far behind the US in terms of the number of older people using the internet, according to Intel chairman Craig Barrett.

Perhaps part of the problem is the IT industry's own attitude to age.

The tech industry certainly seems to be doing a pretty poor job of catering to older consumers at the moment. Even those that have bought PCs don't seem especially overwhelmed by their experiences so far. This is the story we get from some recent Intel research.

The research shows only 59 per cent of over-50s in the UK said the benefits of having a computer outweigh the running costs - hardly a glowing endorsement for the wonderful world of IT. And just over half say the internet has broadened their horizons. Perhaps people coming to computers later in life are less wowed by them than teenagers.

One problem is that many older people are turned off by the design and marketing of a traditional PC. Hardware manufacturers need to come up with designs that are more attractive to older users. And retailers need to provide sales staff with a better idea of what older users might want - along with call centre support staff that don't assume everyone is an IT expert.

When 'silver surfers' do get online, how many services are there for older people compared to the file-sharing mash-up frenzy available for youngsters?

At the same time, the attitude of the IT industry itself is doing nothing to help older people get involved.

The IT business is - apart from pop music and modelling - perhaps the most ageist industry going. We've heard from people - not in their 40s and 50s but in their 30s - who have run into difficulty because of their age when applying for IT jobs.

And so it is unsurprising that IT can't attract pensioners - it has so little respect for older workers, it's doesn't have a clue about what older people want.

Before trying to reach out to silver surfers, perhaps the IT industry should deal with its own ageism issues first.