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Hilarious Baby Boomer Stereotypes
Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends | August 18th, 2008 - 05:30 AM
(27) found this useful. Do you? 
I am of the Baby Boomer generation and I’ve been using technology for 25+ years.
So I have to laugh when I read articles suggesting Baby Boomers are a bunch of old, tech illiterate dinosaurs.
OK, maybe the calendar doesn’t lie and we are getting up there in years.
But what’s with this tech illiterate stereotype, already???
What prompted me to write this is a recent blog post I read about entrepreneurs and technology. The post basically made the point that you should dumb-down technology for Boomer entrepreneurs. It was written by a 20-something tech blogger. (Said blogger shall remain nameless to protect the guilty.)
Here’s a news flash for Gen Xers, Gen Yers and Millennials:
Millions of Baby Boomers have been using computers, software, and other technology for more years than you have — in some cases since before you were born.
For example, I have many more years of experience under my belt using computers, software, and telecom technology than the younger people who work for me. And I started back in the day when technology wasn’t nearly as user-friendly as it is today. Two decades ago we had to overcome a HUGE learning curve just to do simple activities that today most people take for granted — like number crunching, or creating a presentation, or setting up a computer network, or emailing, or building a website, or setting up voice mail for your company.
And here’s my main point: there are millions of Baby Boomers just like me.
Many Baby Boomers (and pre-Boomers) held jobs in corporations requiring them to learn and use technology years ago. Who do you think designed, built and implemented all that technology in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s? Aliens from another planet? Baby Boomers made up the cross-functional teams that are responsible for the first or second or third generation of computing technology in America’s corporations.
And it’s not just the corporate weenies. Academicians, scientists, engineers, medical professionals — all used technology daily.
Boomers who worked in factories also had to learn to use computers a long time ago. (Have you been in a factory in the last 20 years and seen all the technology?) Same goes for UPS drivers, utility workers, bank tellers, clerical workers and others in other blue/pink collar jobs. They’ve been using technology for years.
And when, after years of working for the man, we decide to start our own businesses, we bring that tech experience with us to our own entrepreneurial enterprises.
I’ll grant you that some Baby Boomers are less tech savvy than others. And, yes, some even have a hard time with technology. But you’ll find examples of that among ANY generation.
The fallacy of statistics is that if you generalize and dismiss an entire generation as tech laggards, you will surely miss the mark with millions of Boomers — who, in fact, may be technology trailblazers, not laggards.
Allow me to share a few voices of reason about the folly of stereotypes based on generations:
(1) Rich Newman in an article in MediaPost says it perfectly when it comes to the Internet:
” …we seem intent on fostering the myth that the Internet is the province of the young, that online is an ineffective way to reach boomers–particularly older boomers–and you might as well forget social media when thinking about older consumers. And nothing could be farther from the truth.”
(2) Ronni Bennett at Time Goes By says it when she takes on another blogger who reached faulty conclusions about technology and older workers, stating:
“Apparently, [the blogger] is unaware that most boomers are still active in the workforce (the oldest are 62, youngest 44) with a probable majority familiar with computers and the distances they cover. He probably doesn’t know, either, that people 65 and older are going online in record numbers which does, necessarily, involve use of a computer.”
(3) David Wolfe, author of “Ageless Marketing,” writes regularly about how making judgments based on age often leads to the wrong conclusions, noting recently:
“As I have said before in this space, I have fathered 3 boomers, 2 Gen X’ers and 1 Millennial. As expected, they are all different, but at the same time, they all went through the same stages, with pretty much the same worldviews and very much the same needs. And as I have also said in this space, the partitioning of the population into generational groupings is fraught with peril.”
So if you are one of those people lumping Baby Boomer entrepreneurs into low-tech stereotypes or dismissing them as old fogies incapable of understanding technology — try getting out more. You’ve lived a sheltered life.
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Discussion Boards
carol stanley | August 18th, 2008 at 8:08 am
These articles are a kick..first of all as one points out boomers are still in their forties…Dumb down..exactly what does that mean? However I am struggling with learning the internet technology as opposed to learning programs on the computer..because there is just moreinvolved..I am learning to market on line and there is a lot to learn…carol stanley author of For Kids 59.99 andOver…
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Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends | August 18th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Hi Carol, “dumb down” is my shorthand phrase. The blogger was basically saying that if you are creating websites you have to assume that people in their 40s and up would have a hard time understanding how to use them because they haven’t grown up on the Internet. Again, I paraphrase, but that’s close enough.
Without knowing everything behind your comment about learning how to market online, I would agree that marketing online is complex and tough to grasp, so you’re not alone.
However, that has more to do with the confusing array of choices and new marketing techniques that have to be learned, than it has to do with technology per se.
A 19-year old may be a whiz at gaming and finding stuff online, and can text faster than your eye can follow, plus have the greatest MySpace page in the world, but be clueless about online marketing.
– Anita
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Deborah Chaddock Brown | August 18th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Love this article, Anita. I get so tired of people assuming I don’t know how to use the computer just because I’m “of an age.” Truth be told, my teenager has trouble keeping up with ME on the latest in social media - although his Facebook page is pretty awesome.
It doesn’t just stop with Babyboomers. My folks - are both glued to their computers for the latest information, news, email and photos. They may not Twitter, but they consider the Internet to be their primary connection to the world and their family. More and more of those in the generation that came before boomers are embracing the net as a way to stay connected to their grandchildren.
In fact last year I did research for a speech on generational marketing and found a whole community of 80+ who blog on a regular basis.
As for your comment about marketing online, Carol, from what I can see, a new method, tool or resource for marketing your business online is developed every day, maybe even every hour. It is hard to grasp it all.
The possibilities are exciting and this is one boomer who wants to try and stay in the flow of technology as much as possible - it is such an awesome frontier.
D
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Amanda | August 18th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I can’t believe that some people are so ignorant to believe that age can hinder you from being technology savvy. If you keep up with growing and changing trends, there is no reason why your age should stop you from doing anything.
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Chris | August 18th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
It’s amazing to think that these youngsters are so egotistical. Not surprising, though. I’m of the opinion that it takes some people well into their 20’s and even 30’s to get their heads screwed on straight. Just may be the case with the blogger being mentioned.
My father, who is well into his 50’s, knows more about security when it comes to technology than anyone else I know. He’s on top of all the latest security issues and developments and has even helped me solve a problems or two of my own. He’s not twittering and he doesn’t have a Facebook page and he isn’t on MySpace (thank goodness) . . . but he’s on top of his game otherwise.
There is no way that anyone can convince me that the web is being used strictly by younger generations or that they are the “know it alls” when it comes to that particular topic.
Everything I’ve learned in life has been through wisdom handed down by my elders - and that includes my knowledge of the Net and online technology. And I’m only in my 30’s . . .
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Kari Saratovsky | August 18th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Thanks for the post Anita. As a Millennial and therefore someone who really hasn’t known a world without technology - I read your article with a bit of a different lens. I can’t help but recognize and commend the Boomer Generation for kicking off the great tech boom in the 80’s and 90’s - it’s not only transformed the way we do business it has changed the way that we interact with one another on so many personal levels.
But as we hit the new millennium, people of my generation are taking the strong foundation you have created and are finding new ways to make the web more social and for lack of a better term “user generated.” Millennials in many ways are driving this change, but we couldn’t have done so without the foundation laid before us, and we aren’t trying to do it without you.
My generation has been dismissed as “flighty multitaskers.” But when it comes down to it, I think we have a great deal to teach both organizations and our older colleagues about organizing using social media and about working in a more collaborative and open way. The catch is, we like to feel like we are being listened to and are respected for our opinions.
Would love to bring your readers attention to the Social Citizens blog (www.socialcitizens.org) where we focus on many of the same issues, but more often from the viewpoint of Millennials.
Here’s to cross-generational dialogue - this Millennial thinks there’s hope yet to learn from one another!
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Bianca Aquino | August 18th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Hi,
I’m on my 20’s, I am a software developer but I don’t know anything about online business and online marketing.
And Chris, I agree with you - all these what we have now are being handed to us by our elders. Young people of today might have grown with Internet and technology by their sides but they were not there on the birth of these technologies. All credits are still ought to be given to our elders who have made it possible till these days.
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Ivana Taylor | August 19th, 2008 at 8:41 am
OK - so I have to stir the pot. Whose kid are these? The baby boomers (I’m actually both x-er and boomer. I’m on the cusp) but I believe it’s my solidly boomer friends who have spent the last 10 years joking about the fact that they can’t program the VCR and that these kids are computer geniouses.
I’m a mom - but I refuse to let my child believe that he knows somehing I don’t know (at least while I can). After all, I’ve been here longer than he has
All I’m saying here is that we all have responsibility for guiding and teaching younger generations to respect the knowledge, wisdom, experience and dedicaton to on-going learning.
That means that business owners who still have their secretaries print their e-mail and record their voice mail - should STOP IT.
If we don’t like what they say about us - we should look inside ourselves first.
OK - that’s my soapbox for the day. Thanks Anita.
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Chris | August 19th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Ha, ha . . Ivana, I see where you’re coming from, too, and agree with that. These children are good with technology, no doubt about that. But they seem to focus on particular portions of the technology and then excel at those, as oppossed to the technology on a grand scale.
As Anita stated, they can out text you and out game you anyday. And some are even better at the online world than others, period. But it’s not fair to sell the boomer’s short just because the youth have embraced portions of it to the extent they have and done some surprising things with it, too.
Everyone’s in it together . . . and we each have our specialties, I suppose.
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SRyder | August 19th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Interesting exchange. My only comment, however, is a correction. From where is Ronni Bennet pulling her numbers? In reference to Boomers, she says that “(the oldest are 62, youngest 44)”. That would mean that the youngest Boomers, according to Ronni, were born in 1964. I believe the time spread for baby boomers is between 1946 and 1961 (and some would argue that 1961 is stretching it.
In any case, I don’t begrudge the younger generation their jabs. Their whole lives have been affected adversely for the most part by the ‘baby boomer’ generation. We have hogged the jobs, marketing and music is still often geared to our generation and we are so darn cocky!
Sue Ryder 1952
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Anita Campbell | August 19th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Hi Kari, You bring up a great point about generational stereotypes — the one about flighty multitaskers being just one.
Hey, we could do an article on “Hilarious Millennial Stereotypes.”
I used to buy into those glib too-easy stereotypes, but not anymore. I’ve come to realize that people are different — it has less to do with generations and more to do with our own individual personalities and proclivities.
I simply would like for us all to accept people as people, not age-based stereotypes.
Thanks for pointing out your site — will visit it.
Best,
Anita
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Mabel | August 19th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
It’s so absurd how people judge older ones and think they’ll have a hard time trying to figure out technology. This is a great article and I completely agree with this. I think that all it takes for you to understand anything, whatever you want is the effort you make.
Mabel
Outsourcing In Call Center
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Bianca Aquino | August 20th, 2008 at 12:02 am
@ Anita,
I hope I won’t be able to read “Hilarious Millennial Stereotypes” article. Lol. Anyway, you’re right. We should be treated fairly but I think that will remain a dream.
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David | August 21st, 2008 at 12:07 pm
First of all, for the sake of being completely transparent, I am a partner of Immersion Active, the only Internet marketing agency in the United States focused solely on the baby boomer and senior markets. Quite frankly, if the stereotype explored in this post were true, we’d be out of business.
What we’ve found most interesting about the online habits of the baby boomer generation is that, a lot of the time, they are going to the same places (i.e. types of online channels and websites) as younger generations and even doing the same types of things. What is different is the motivation behind their actions. Think about the reasons a person in their 20s would create a MySpace profile as opposed to someone in their 50s – two extremely dissimilar motivations.
The same can be true with technology adoption, as boomers often use new technologies for different reasons than younger audiences. And in some cases, we believe that a younger audience’s technology adoption rate can be used to predict the future adoption of a certain technology by boomers.
Clearly, the issue is not whether or not boomers are online, using new technologies, etc. Therefore, the question should not be the what, where, or how. It’s the why. And, as alluded to by the excerpt from David Wolfe, the “why” is not a generational thing; it’s a human behavior thing.
David Weigelt
Marketing Strategist/Partner
Immersion Active
http://www.immersionactive.com
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Rita | August 21st, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Great post and comments. I’ve read criticism of boomers because they aren’t into social networking. I comment that they may be working in their communities or talking with their families.
I write a blog for boomer consumers called The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide at http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com.
Rita
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Jay | September 9th, 2008 at 9:35 am
This was a good read and I had a laugh, too. Dinosaurs? Nah. Anyone see the commercial with the two children explaining how to use cell phones, bluetooth and text to their parents who are getting into a car and being taxied off to work? Funny, but not incredibly realistic.
Stereotypes are out there unfortunately, but I don’t buy into them very often.
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