Why Don't You Use the Technology That is Presently Available?

I have definitely passed middle-age and I am well into the elderly category consequently, as a genealogist, I have no trouble associating with older people. To some of my friends, I am definitely young. But to most of the world's population, I am definitely old. As such, I inherit much of the age stereotyping and age discrimination that seems rather rampant in our society.  One of those stereotypes is the assumption that old people are uncomfortable, unfamiliar with, and poorly adapted to technology. The stereotype includes the elderly person asking a teenager for help in programming a DVD player or some other simple object.

Because of my age, I have been able to be involved with technology and computers since the beginning of the computer revolution. But I also recognize the fact that I am far from the average elderly person when it comes to technology. Despite my own background, I am well acquainted with people who feel overwhelmed by the idea of using the Internet to discover digitized records. Just today, I suggested to a fellow genealogist that he search the Internet for probate records. The immediate response was that that would be very difficult to do and he was not at all interested in searching.

Granted, physical limitations are a problem at any age for using technology. What I see as the greatest challenge is the fact that a significant number of people my age never learned how to use a keyboard. Fortunately, I took a typing class in high school that, by the way, turned out to be one of the few things that I got any benefit from in high school. However, despite the stereotype, I find that many people of all ages are challenged by technology and lack the skills necessary to do serious genealogical research using online sources. I see people of all ages who cannot type.

I think that most people are passively aware of and use technology that fits into their lifestyle. So many young people can text rapidly on a smartphone but lack the know-how to get started doing research. If using technical skills for genealogy was only about certain kinds of technical skills such as texting on smartphones, then those who had that skill would have an advantage. But when was the last time you texted genealogy? In any event, we now use voice recognition to send text messages so thumb typing isn't a skill we need anymore.

But all this is simply background skills which you have or don't have irrespective of your age. The real issue is not recognizing the advanced technology that is available and using it for genealogy. Most people I encounter at the Brigham Young University Family History Library are aware of the FamilySearch.org Family Tree and perhaps Ancestry.com. The world of genealogical technology does not end with these two websites. The technology pertinent to genealogical research includes flatbed scanners, slide scanners, photo scanners, digital cameras, microfilm scanners, book scanners, and similar machines and all the software to support and operate the machines. There are, of course, several other large online genealogy database programs. I am constantly surprised that more genealogists here in the United States are not aware of or using MyHeritage.com and Findmypast.com. In addition, there are probably thousands of other software programs from word processing to photo manipulation programs and spreadsheets that are helpful in preserving photos, writing histories, and other activities.

Technology will continue to change. I use voice recognition software frequently to increase my productivity. I also use a variety of devices including my iPhone for taking notes at libraries that allow photographs. Of course, we use online conferencing programs to communicate and to record webinars. As time passes and the generations change there will be fewer people who are totally unaware of technology's advantages.