The World Is Getting Faster… and Older
The world today is accelerating. Technology, lifestyle, work pace, performance-driven mindsets… everything is moving faster.
But here’s the funny thing: the world is also getting older. Not just in the West—almost everywhere on the planet. Only a few African countries still have predominantly young populations.
So, why do I find that funny?
Well… old people are slow.
Today, I experienced it again at the supermarket. And trust me, technology isn’t helping—on the contrary. It often makes things even slower for elderly people.
I had just finished shopping and was queuing to pay. I usually avoid the self-checkout machines because I enjoy the small human interactions at the till. In front of me was an elderly woman. The cashier scanned all her items, and then came the moment to pay.
She began looking for cash, carefully counting the bills and coins. Minutes passed—far too many for the usual rhythm of a busy checkout line. The cashier asked if she had a credit card (some older people still don’t). And yes! She had one! I could feel a collective wave of relief behind me in the queue.
She slowly fished out her card and headed for the machine... then froze—she couldn’t remember her PIN. The cashier told her she could pay without the code. It took a few more minutes to explain what that meant. And even then—it didn’t work. Probably an option that needed to be activated beforehand.
It would take two minutes for someone younger to fix this online. But I imagined her at home without a computer—certainly no smartphone either.
Eventually, she remembered she had written down her PIN somewhere (very secure, I know!)—and finally, she managed to pay and leave.
This is just one example. Of course, we all know at least one tech-savvy senior. But they are rare. And even they can struggle to keep up with every new update, every change, every innovation. Now add AI to the picture. Now imagine a world where everything is accessible only by biometrics.
My mother is 87. She liked the idea of video calls to see her grandchildren. But we had to give up on smartphones—her fingers don’t cooperate the way they used to.
Do designers and developers think about that? When you grow old, your body doesn't respond as quickly. Your brain takes longer to process new things.
In many countries, over-65s represent more than 10% of the population. In Japan, it’s nearly 30%!
That’s huge. And yet, I feel like it’s barely even a topic.
What are we going to do about it?
What do you think? What do you know?
I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.
