Many stances on technology

It can still be helpful to recall that one of Time's important ideas in the current world is tv.  Although many Americans have more tv channels, movies and YouTube downloads than they know what to do with, much of the world has little or no broadcast.  Even getting a regular supply of electricity is not easy.  While some of us spend a large part of the day checking our smartphones, that is not true for a very large percent of humanity.

Despite the fact that electric computers date from at least as far back as 1950 and popular use of the world wide web can be dated back to about 1990, many people have little or no interest in learning to use modern communications technology.  Whether it is telegrams or party small talk, many people simply don't find much to say and have little use for widespread communication.

Some students of technology development and spread use the handy rule of thumb that old technologies don't die.  They just shrink.  We still have blacksmiths and anvils and forges but fewer of them.  We still have archers but in the US, they take a different form, hunting with compound bows capable of delivery many pounds of thrust with much less effort.  People still spin thread and still make cakes from scratch.

However, skills and interests do change.  Many older people do use computers.  No doubt, more are developing web sites and figuring out both how to use them and also what to put on them to extend their interests.  These days, you can expect a teenager to be glued to a cell phone and a senior citizen to be reading her newspaper but there are a wider range of exceptions than we might suspect.  Many teens in the world have no access to light after dark, no cell phones and no money.  Many older people can't read or even see well enough to read.