Have you ever found yourself repeatedly explaining to your parents and grandparents how to use technology, only to have them forget the steps soon after? It is a common challenge many of us face, highlighting the growing digital divide between generations.
To bridge the digital divide, a group of final-year advertising students from Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) came up with a possible solution. Their initiative, Golden Seniors Connect, is a ground-breaking project designed to empower seniors with essential digital literacy skills.
Golden Seniors Connect focuses on educating seniors to use six vital Google tools – Search, Calendar, Maps, Translate, Photos and Lens – which are instrumental in finding information, managing schedules, preserving memories and breaking language barriers.
One way the students plan to do this is by working with a group of senior influencers to be part of several key activities planned for the project and are featured in the project’s Instagram channel, @goldenseniorsconnect. This includes an educational miniseries – six short videos of the senior influencers and young people using Google Tools through fun and engaging storylines.
Among the senior influencers, 61-year-old Ramlah Ali, fondly known as Kak Ramlah, demonstrated how to use google lens and she shared, “Being part of Golden Seniors Connect has been truly eye-opening. I agreed to become a senior influencer because I believe in the message we're sharing—that learning and growing never stops, no matter your age.
“For instance, using tools such as Google Translate has helped me improve my English, and it is incredible how technology can make life easier for seniors. I hope other seniors will know about this project and be encouraged to give technology a try,” she said.
Another influencer Choi Sua Lin, 80 years old shared, “Thanks to my granddaughter, I’ve learned to use Google Photos to upload and share moments with my family. I enjoy revisiting these memories whenever I have time—technology has truly brought us closer together.”
Besides working with senior influencers, the students will also be partnering with centres comprising senior members to provide them with hands-on experiences on how to use Google tools so as to enhance their daily lives.
Lai Ee Shen who leads the project shared why the team wanted to do a project focusing on seniors. “Digital literacy is crucial for senior citizens because it enables them to stay connected with their loved ones, access essential services, and participate more fully in society. We recognise the growing digital divide between younger generations and seniors, as some of us have experienced first-hand with our own grandparents.“
Lai shared on managing the project with the team. “Preparation for the project took about 9 weeks, and it involved researching, planning, and collaborating with various stakeholders, including senior influencers and tech-savvy youths, as well as executing our ideas for the production of the video.
One of the notable challenges is interacting with the seniors as they are not familiar with the many functions of digital technology, especially those in Whatsapp and Google tools.
Another challenge, seeking suitable seniors to be the influencers for the project but it was quite a fun experience interacting with quite a number of seniors in the selection process.
In addition, we also had to ensure that the message was clear and impactful, and we had to develop the right initiatives for the community to understand and act upon them. The process required creativity, empathy, and a deep understanding of how to effectively communicate across generational lines,” she explained.
Lai also noted that the project had the potential to continue evolving, with new topics and areas of interest being explored for future videos. “Since there is no end date set for the project, the team can focus on expanding the content to cover more relevant themes that will benefit the senior community. There’s plenty of room for others to join in and bring fresh perspectives as well,” she added.
