'Not even a computer from the 2000s has this many viruses': People despair at how Boomers use technology

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Mar 16, 2024 4:00 PM EDT

It's got to have been difficult being an older person when computers and cell phones went mainstream. You spend your whole life doing things analog and then all of a sudden you have to catch up with a world that sends text messages and watches TikToks. My grandma always used to boast that she knew how to use a computer before anyone else in the family because of the job she had in the 80s. Nowadays, though, she can scarcely use an iPad without someone else to help troubleshoot. Things change in the blink of an eye.

However, she is in many ways a lot more competent than some of a certain age when they use technology. This has been underlined in a recent amusing Twitter thread, where people gripe about how older acquaintances and relatives manage to screw up their phones and computers. At a certain point, the level of ineptitude becomes almost impressive.