Cyberspace: The Final Frontier

Buying a computer can open up a whole new dot-driven world. So why are some Baby Boomers happy to plunge into the internet while others are still so reluctant? Ed Reed finds out that it really can be quite simple to get started...

Google, eBay, ISPs, blogs, broadband, dot com sites, Yahoo and user IDs. Welcome to the jargon of the internet! It sounds impenetrable but after a few sessions surfing the World Wide Web all these really will become quite clear, and more besides. In fact, there's never been a better time to get online if you haven't been before, and discover a place where goods are cheap, global communication is free, information is easily accessible and whole communities of like-minded people are getting together.

Graham Newman, 55, from Stocktonon-Tees, was named Silver Surfer of the Year in October. A former policeman, Graham set up his own website after being told he had prostate cancer early last year. Getting fed up of repeatedly giving family and friends updates about his condition he decided to develop a web diary.

"It was a central information bureau," he explains. "My wife's side of the family is very large. It's nice that people care and they are all well-meaning but when you have had the umpteenth call of the day or visitor after a while it can get very trying and it means you don't get a chance to just sit back and forget it for five minutes. I needed a website to tell everybody what was happening and also to fill my time."

Using a second-hand computer, Graham learnt how to design websites with some online tutorials and has never looked back. He quickly started to hear from other sufferers of prostate cancer and their relatives who had visited his site, found his diaries and gained information and comfort. "We have all got a common problem. That's what brings us together. A lot of those people are really old boys up to 90 years old who are contacting me from South Africa as well as America and Australia."

The web, Graham believes, also helps men express themselves more candidly when it comes to talking about sensitive issues. "People can say things in an email they wouldn't say to my face. It's an impersonal way of getting advice, contact and support - particularly for men. This is an ideal medium for them. I have got a very supportive family but regardless of that I have to say I have I advocate to everybody I know they should get a computer if they haven't already."

Wilf Voss agrees. Wilf works for the British Computer Society which runs e-Citizenship courses allowing everyone to get online and become part of a global web-based community. The courses receive public funding and so many people qualify for a free place. "People have still got this fear of computing because they have never needed to use IT (Information Technology) in their life. They think they don't need it, they have never needed it and they're going to break the computer. But I know people of the silver surfer bracket and considerably older who, once they have got over that first hurdle, you can't stop them."

"If you go to a library or local college you can get an introductory course and have a go in a controlled environment with help and it's nothing to be worried about!"

BCS is trying desperately to show people what's out there. Users often just have to log on once to realise the possibilities of the internet. "It's not something you can easily pin down or say ‘you can do this or do that'," comments Wilf.

For those coming to the internet for the very first time, he suggests the best place to start is the local library. "The role of the library service has changed quite dramatically in the last few years. Or you can go to a local college, or drop-in centre or Learn Direct centre. There are a lot of opportunities out there for people. If you go to a library or local college you can get an introductory course and have a go in a controlled environment with help and it's nothing to be worried about!"

Younger silver surfers are rushing to get online, according to the latest statistics. In the UK, internet usage among the 45 – 54 age group is 63 per cent. That's a 13 per cent increase from the previous year. However, internet usage in the over 65 age group stands somewhat lower at just 15 per cent. But the figures look set to increase. In the UK, there are expected to be 17 million over-60s in 2026. As the UK's population continues to age, the power of the older online consumer looks set to grow massively. That's according to the UK's largest website for the over-50s, 50Connect. Philip Cooper is 50Connect's Managing Director. He says: "For many over-65s the desire to go online does not exist. In contrast, Baby Boomers see the internet as a part of everyday life, use it every day and are comfortable buying online. There is nothing to suggest that once this age group turns 65-plus they will no longer use the internet."

Whether planning a round-the-world trip, looking for cheaper car insurance or trading shares, the instinct for many 50 to 60-year-olds is to complete a host of different tasks online. The internet is also increasingly being used for pensions and investments, property, health care and equity release. A survey from NatWest OnLine Banking found that two-thirds of computer owners over 50 use the internet to manage their finances online, while 64 per cent of computer users in the 70-plus bracket log on once a week to check their accounts. Looking further at the habits of silver surfers, the bank found that 96 per cent of over-50s online are regular email users and 89 per cent use the internet to access information, 68 per cent use the internet to catch up on news and weather. About 57 per cent book holidays online while 24 per cent check the progress of their shares. And now divorcees over the age of 50 are relying on internet dating to find romance. Nearly a third of divorced men and women have looked for love online, preferring the virtual world to more traditional venues such as pubs and clubs according to research conducted by Lloyds TSB Internet banking.

Richard Wright helps run the over-50s portal Silversurfers.net. He feels that scare stories about viruses and internet crime are preventing many people logging on. Yet if they take the first step, older users would realise just what they had been missing out on, he says. "We always felt that the net is a brilliant place for oldies! It opens up a much bigger world for the older person than the younger person. But the older person is still in the main a bit scared of using computers. It just so happens that the internet is still a huge unknown in peoples' minds. But for the majority of people that aren't connected, the risks are outweighed by the benefits in terms of getting involved and experiencing it for yourself."

CASE STUDY:
Tony Akhurst, 76, a former painter and decorator from Swindon, had never switched on a computer before signing up to an eCitizenship course run by BCS last January. The course, which was free, lasted six months and comprised four-hour tutorials over two sessions each week. Tony eventually went on to pass an IT qualification and is looking forward to buying his own computer.

He says: "I was 75 when I first started and the teachers were quite surprised I'd never sat down in front of a computer before. I was probably the oldest. Others were probably in their 50s or 60s. Some of them had computers at home and came to get more experience.

"I learnt how to log on and send emails, leant how to put attachments to those emails, how to book holidays online. It was really good! I'm going to buy a computer now. One of the reasons I haven't is that I've been so busy. I'm going to be spending a lot of time on it if I get it."

He urges everyone to get online and access the World Wide Web. "Do it. It's very daunting at first. After three or four lessons I couldn't get the hang of it, but my tutor said it's just like riding a bike. You keep falling off and falling off then all of a sudden you go. It was exactly as she said. It's a fabulous thing to do. It keeps your mind active and you meet new people to talk to. It's great for people my age."

If you'd like to find out more about an e-Citizen course near you, contact the British Computer Society on 0845 300 4417.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
The World Wide Web, the web, the net and online are all alternative terms for the internet.

Log on, click on, get connected and go online are all verbs used to mean accessing the internet, or a particular site on the internet – a website.

Surfing means using the internet and accessing various websites.