Tech vs. Tradition: The Battle Over Texting, Email, FaceTime

Professor Stone Oakley

Navigating the digital divide in 55+ communities with humor and frustration.

By Professor Stone Oakley

 

In the vibrant world of 55+ communities, there’s an ongoing battle, one that cuts deeper than the pickleball rivalries or the heated bingo face-offs. No, this war is fought in the digital trenches, where savvy early adopters clash with those who still think the fax machine is the pinnacle of communication technology. It’s the classic fight of Technology vs. Tradition, with the frontlines drawn around texting, email, and—heaven help us—FaceTime.

Texting: The Necessary Evil

For many in the 55+ crowd, texting is like flossing—something you know you should do, but you’d really rather not. Some have embraced it, albeit with reluctance, tapping out messages at the speed of a tortoise on vacation. These pioneers of texting typically send cryptic messages like, “Call me. I don’t text.” A brave few have even discovered emojis, sprinkling their messages with random smiley faces, hearts, and for some inexplicable reason, eggplants. (No, Linda, that doesn’t mean what you think it means!)

But then there’s the other side: the texters of the world who refuse to type out more than one. word. at. a. time. "Hi." Pause. "How." Pause. "Are." Long pause. "You." The conversation takes so long that by the time you reach the end, you’ve already forgotten what you were discussing in the first place.

Email: The Battlefield of Formality

Email was once the high-tech darling of the older generation, the tool of the sophisticated communicator. "Email me," they'd say, proud of their early adoption. But now, email is like the community pool—frequently used, but rarely cleaned up. There are inboxes out there with unread message counts higher than the national debt. Clicking through these email graveyards is an exercise in futility. You’ll find every chain letter since 2003, a few hundred "Your Account Has Been Compromised!" scams, and a smattering of forwarded jokes with so many FW: FW: FW

, the original sender might as well be living in a different century.

And let’s not forget the "reply-all" offenders. They treat every email thread like an opportunity to remind everyone they exist. It’s always the same people, too—Cheryl from pickleball and Bob from down the street, who felt the need to share his thoughts on literally everything, from soup recipes to the state of the world economy. Just once, you wish they’d stick to sharing their opinions at the community meeting—oh wait, they do that too.

FaceTime: The Weapon of Mass Confusion

Ah, FaceTime. The holy grail of technological progress, where suddenly everyone is an on-camera personality—whether they like it or not. For many, FaceTime is an anxiety-inducing nightmare. Imagine it: You answer the call, and immediately the camera gives a horrifying view straight up your nostrils. "Oh, wait, how do I flip this thing? Is it working?" your friend shouts, as you stare at the ceiling fan or their ear for the next three minutes.

Even when the video finally focuses on their face, it's less of a friendly chat and more of a high-stakes interrogation. “You’re frozen!” “I can’t hear you!” “Is that your dog barking or mine?” The conversation becomes more about adjusting the volume or tapping the screen than actually talking. And let’s not even get started on the dreaded moment when someone tries to FaceTime a group. If you ever wanted to see what chaos looks like in real-time, just join a group FaceTime call with six people over the age of 55. It’s like watching the Titanic sink, but with more confusion and less orchestral music.

The Unholy Hybrid: Texts That Turn Into Phone Calls

Worst of all are those who claim to be texting converts but immediately follow their text with a phone call. “Hey, did you get my text?” they ask. Yes, Susan, I got your text. It said, Call me. The entire point of texting is to avoid a call. But no, you find yourself in a 45-minute conversation that could’ve been a three-line text message. And there goes your afternoon.

The Generational Divide

The battle between technology and tradition isn’t just personal—it’s generational. Kids these days, with their Snapchat, TikTok, and whatever else is popular for about five minutes, seem like aliens to some older adults. Meanwhile, the younger generation is baffled by how some people can still find a way to get confused by the cloud.

“I don’t trust that cloud,” says Ed, a proud anti-tech advocate, as though the cloud were some dark, Orwellian force monitoring his every move, waiting to seize his grocery list.

And yet, the same Ed will forward a thousand memes about how people "used to drink from the hose and ride in cars without seatbelts," lamenting the world’s obsession with safety and convenience—sent, of course, from his AOL email address.

Conclusion: A Stalemate

At the end of the day, the great debate between technology and tradition will rage on. Texting will remain a slow and cumbersome tool for some, emails will continue to be ignored, and FaceTime will forever be a source of frustration and hilarity. But one thing is certain: Whether you’re team tech or team tradition, there’s no escaping the fact that sooner or later, you’ll be stuck on a FaceTime call, trying to explain to someone where the mute button is.

And no matter what side of the tech debate you fall on, we can all agree on one thing: Thank goodness for the “Do Not Disturb” butto