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Tormod Bjørnstad
Retired and former consultant
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Digital services should be better adapted for an increasing proportion of older people, says pensioner Tormod Bjørnstad. We can only hope that we do not need a bank ID and password to die.
Chronicle
This is a chronicle. Opinions in the text are at the writer’s expense.The computer revolution has taken the whole world by storm. For several hours a day we stare at our screens. Over half of the Earth’s population uses the Internet. We can do almost anything with a smartphone and internet connection. But is everyone involved in the technology race?
Digital nightmare
My good friend Ragnhild is over 90 years old. One day she tells me about a special dream she has had:
– I dreamed that I was in a bed in a dark, quiet room surrounded by a soft bubble like a wide sleeping bag. Many were gathered around me. I did not see them, but I heard that they comforted me. Then I realized I was going to die.
Maybe not an unusual dream to have when you are 90 years old. Ragnhild continues:
– “Just be calm”, I say to the comforting people. “We must all die once.”
“I’m not in pain, and I’ve had a wonderful life with Erik and the rest of you. Thank you, thank you for having such a good life. “
– Then I felt death approaching. Soon I would draw my last sigh. Then a deafening noise filled the whole room and the bubble I was lying in. A loud voice shouted at me: “THE PASSWORD!”
– I froze in terror and whispered: “Do not have a password.”
“Then it will not work,” replied the voice.
– Then I woke up suddenly. Sweaty and violent heartbeat.
I was almost shocked the first time I heard my friend’s story. When she retold it later, a light came on for me. It is not just Ragnhild who has had negative experiences with digitalisation.
More will fall outside
Norwegian authorities are investing in the new technology. “The goal is for digitization to contribute to better and more accessible public services, simplifications and increased value creation for the business community and a simpler everyday life for most people,” said the former Minister for Digitization Nikolai Astrup (H) in 2019. His ambition is for Norway to become a world leader in the digitization of public services.
But it goes too fast for those who do not master the technology. There are some of the “old”, those who are over 65, and some who have disabilities. They end up outside the information, communication and service offerings that society develops.
We are getting older and older. In 2030, there will be more elderly than children in this country, according to Statistics Norway. Globally, the proportion over the age of 65 is growing the fastest. In 2050, 16 percent of the population will be over 65 years old, compared to 9 percent in 2019, according to figures from FN.
This means that more people will fall outside the digital society.
Still new solutions
The problem is not just learning a digital service. The problem is that once we have become confident in how the app works, a new one will come. The screen is new, new features have been added, old ones have been removed and the explanations are missing.
“I want to talk to a human being!”
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This year, many got a new one tax return to struggle with. Some thought it was simple, but several struggled to figure out which numbers to place where.
– I gave up. Many of the expenses that were previously to be specified, I only collected in a random deduction item, a friend told me.
– I called the tax authorities for a few days, then I got help over the phone, another said.
You can offer as many “senior courses” as you want, but that does not solve the problem. With increasing age, we can not bear to spend hour after hour on a new app. In addition, the phone queue is often long:
“You are number 29 in the queue, estimated waiting time is 56 minutes”, is no unusual message to receive.
Our irritation increases when we experience this. But we get nervous and restless if a service is only available digitally, and only in a new version.
Digital or analog
Many people have tried to chat with a computer, and on simple questions a robot can help. But the conversation becomes hopeless if the machine does not understand what we are asking or we are unable to explain the problem.
He was smart he wrote in the chat: “I want to talk to a human!”
This year, DNB demanded that all customers should legitimize digitally as soon as possible, otherwise our money would be blocked. That threat was effective, but the task was difficult. The bank’s customer service collapsed from the flood of customers who needed help. Many sat in a telephone queue for hours, and DNB probably lost much of its good reputation.
When will the simple solutions that everyone can use come?
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DNB had an alternative. You could bring your passport to a bank branch. But most bank branches were closed down a long time ago. Those who still chose to travel a bit and stand in a long queue, got the matter settled quickly and easily, in the old “analog” way.
Universal Design
– I have wasted an insane amount of time on apps and digital problems, a young lady in her forties moaned to me.
She just needed to know how desperate many of us in older generations are.
We probably need more courses, but for now we need help.
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When will the simple solutions that everyone can use come? Self payment machines in the doctor’s office is difficult for some, but they still do not have to pay cash. When should society safeguard the Discrimination Act and human rights?
We probably need more courses, but for now we need help. We want offices where a living person can help us when we do not get the bills paid.
Seven life events
Most people have experienced entering the wrong code or password. Then the heart beats and the fear rises. If you have forgotten the code, you will not be paid. If you are in a queue, you will be red and embarrassed while you frantically search for the note.
It is the feeling of not mastering the digital task that is so painful. Regardless: If you do not understand it, can not do it, or forget the code – then you are locked out!
The Directorate for Digitalisation will develop digital services for the so-called the seven life events. Here, many agencies will collaborate across different sectors. “Death and inheritance” is one of the life events.
We can only hope that we do not need a bank ID and password to die.
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/data/photo/2022/07/04/62c2515293f54.jpg "Collaborating with Nicholas Saputra, Brother Hope to make a cool short film to discuss the specifications of the Oppo Find X5 Pro 5G")