The acceleration of digital transformation has made people’s daily life more convenient and efficient. Public service and life in general quickly changed due to the proliferation of kiosks, smart devices, and online services. The young generation finds this digital transformation convenient, but it resulted in the alienation of elderly people who have difficulty learning and adjusting to new things. This phenomenon represents a generation gap in aging society and a continually deepening digital gap. CBT reporters covered this inconvenience, which the elderly experience, in daily life and explored a variety of efforts to make technologies accessible to them.

  Digital transformation has led to significant changes, with one of the most notable being the widespread adoption of unmanned public services through the introduction of kiosks. Kiosks are rapidly spreading as a system that lowers the rate of infection since the COVID-19 Pandemic and lessens the burden of personnel expenses to store owners. However, it resulted in a serious problem of inconvenience for the digital vulnerable class, including the elderly and the disabled, who have relatively low accessibility to information. According to a 2020 Survey on Seniors by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 58.3% of elderly people have booked public transport such as train, express bus, and intercity bus by informational technology and 60.4% of them have experienced inconvenience. 63-year-old, Yun Young-lan, who has always purchased paper tickets at the ticket windows said, “Other people pre-book through apps and board the bus right away. I tried to do that, but that is too fussy.” In the case where elderly consumers are not accustomed to using smart devices, they have difficulty with new, complicated system such as app installation, choosing many options, registering credit cards, and making online payments. This difficulty aside, they are faced with diverse problems such as the lack of accessibility of online services, digital security, confusion by information overload, etc.. It exacerbates the issue, as the elderly often lack sufficient understanding of digital technology, which makes them feel frustrated and isolated in a rapidly changing environment.

  As these problems become apparent, many institutions and enterprises are finding varied solutions for the elderly. First, the Korea Center for Accessibility Assessment & Research, which was established in Aug. 2022, estimates the accessibility of intelligence information products, including electronics, home appliances and kiosks. It helps companies’ product development and researches accessibility assessment criteria, standardization methods, etc., so that the digital vulnerable may easily use these products. At the moment, it presents standards of accessibility to the Ministry of Science and ICT, an official certification body for accessibility, and the National Information Society Agency. They also participate in the setting of criteria in conjunction with the aforementioned agencies.

  Recently, a number of institutes are operating digital education programs. A representative example of this is the Visiting Senior Digital School Project that is conducted by Kakao, the Korea Association of Senior Welfare Centers, and the Senior Financial Education Council. These programs help the elderly to use technologies, such as smartphones, supporting access improvement to digital devices, services and platforms. Since last Nov., the instructors who are trained by the Senior Financial Education Council, have been directly conducting the project at 100 locations, including senior welfare centers. Instructor Choi kum-ja said, “The Visiting Senior Digital School Project is conducted under the slogan, Bringing Seniors Closer to the Digital Everyday. With the purpose of making themselves familiar with digital skills for daily life, we taught useful digital technologies to improve seniors’ digital accessibility.” She added, “Seniors who participated in this project were significantly interested in communication via smartphones. For example, one of the participants was able to order a present for his granddaughter as a result of the education. When the granddaughter replied with a thank-you message and a cute emoji, the participant was happy and proud, showing off the joyful moment.” The participants who took the class all showed positive reactions. Yun Young-lan said, “Through the training, I was able to check the bus schedule in advance and leave home at the appropriate time. It was convenient because I did not have to wait outside for a long time. I also learned things I need in my daily life, such as finding directions using Kakao Map, purchasing train tickets online in advance, reserving movie tickets, and using online banking. At first, I was confused and scared, but now I have confidence and feel very happy.” 71-year-old, Ji Jang-myeong said, “Through the training, I also learned a variety of things, from how to use Kakao Talk to Kakao Pay, gift giving, and digital finance. In particular, communicating with my family has become much easier thanks to learning how to send photos and make video calls. In the past, I could only send text messages, but now I can make a video call to my grandchildren and send photos to my friends to stay closer to them. The biggest change after learning Kakao Pay was being able to send money without having to go to the bank. In the past, I had to go to the bank to send even a small amount of money, but now I can send it right from my smartphone, which is really convenient.”

  However, there were also some regrets about the education. Yun Young-Lan and Ji Jang-myeong commented, “The training was really beneficial, but it is a shame that once we learn something, we quickly forget it over time. We need to continuously practice and use it, but there are limits due to our age. We think that digital education programs for the elderly should be implemented consistently, rather than as a one-time event. We also wish the class time be a little longer. The most difficult thing during training was that there were so many new terms and concepts such as QR code and OTP that it felt unfamiliar and difficult. Moreover, since our fingers could not move freely, it was not easy to touch small letters. For this reason, it took a long time to follow the class.” 67-year-old, Kim Gyeong-hui added, “It is sometimes difficult to absorb the information when we learn a lot of content at once. I would like the training to be continued so that I can progressively tackle more challenging classes and expand my knowledge.”

  The establishment of the Korea Center for Accessibility Assessment & Research and implementation of digital device education programs is a step in the right direction, but tackling the issue of digital alienation among the elderly is challenging and cannot be addressed solely through national and social attention. Instructor Choi Gum-ja said, “Rather than only emphasizing the responsibility of the elderly for learning, our society, the younger generation, and their families should take interest together, actively supporting digital education of the elderly and thinking about ways to help them in their daily lives. For example, for families, I recommend starting by creating a group chat room and communicating continuously. I hope that the digitally literate younger generation will contribute to bridging the gap in the use of digital technology. It is also important to see these individual efforts and provide corresponding educational opportunities at the level of our society and government. Society must become the place where everyone is equal and is not alienated from the digital reality.”

  In the digital era, the purpose of true digital transformation is to create an environment where everyone in society can equally utilize and enjoy convenient digital technologies so that no one is left out. It is time for everyone to work together to ensure that older people no longer get lost in the digital society and can lead better lives.

  Yun Young-lan: Understanding digital technology is essential for a better life. While it may initially seem challenging and intimidating, do not be afraid to give it a try. Embracing digital advancements will transform your life for the better.

  Ji Jang-myeong: The important thing is not to be afraid of learning. We are more than capable, and even if it takes time, if we slowly keep learning, change will surely come.

  Kim Gyeong-hui: Even if you are a senior, you can do anything if you challenge yourself, so I would encourage you to give it a try and learn.