By David Sinclair 

How it was then

The way we live our lives has been transformed over the past quarter of a century. And much of this change has been driven by new technology.

When the Hubble returned spectacular images of distant galaxies, science fiction felt more of a reality than ever before. But despite the vision presented by BBC’s Tomorrow’s World, most of us were unprepared for the change we would witness in how we would live our lives.

Twenty-five years ago, few UK businesses had an email address. It’s unlikely that ILC had even an email address when it was set up. Today we couldn’t file our accounts without one.

US President Clinton allegedly sent just two emails while in the White House.

A quarter of a century ago, things started to change with the arrival of Netscape Navigator, which helped more of us access the internet. In the UK, we went to electronics stores to pick up software for free. We could access the internet via our home phone lines for the first time. And while Bill Clinton wasn’t a fan, Gore was an enthusiast and had a PC in the White House.

The mid to late 1990s were notable for what were to become two of the most influential companies in the world. Steve Jobs returned to run Apple, and Microsoft launched Windows 95. We saw the launch of Tamagotchi virtual pets, the Minidisc player, and rewritable CDs where we could save 80 minutes of music. Yes, people stole music before it all went online.

The Palm Pilot, the first electronic organiser, arrived in 1997, the same year as the Motorola flip phone.

The mid to late 1990s were also marked by an explosion of personal electronic gaming devices with the launch of PlayStation and Nintendo 64. Grand Theft Auto was launched with significant controversy and success, selling 125 million copies.

Channel 5 was launched. It felt and still feels like an analogue offer in a digital world. The launch of WebTV in 1997 was far more prescient of how TV would change. In 1997, the BBC launched an online news service, changing forever the way we consume information.

How it is now

Despite decades of dramatic change, there is a perception that innovation and technology have left ageing and longevity behind. To a certain extent, this is true.

We are, in the UK, still talking about the potential of electronic patient records, 25 years after the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, announced their introduction.

Our health and care policy papers (even today’s versions) have been and still are full of glib but meaningless promises to make the most of the potential of technology.

“We need to seize the full potential of the advanced application of science and technology to help deliver better later lives.” (DWP 2005)

“New service models and technology have an important role in enabling older people to remain in their own homes and avoid unnecessary moves into residential care or hospital” (The Wanless social care review, 2006)

So, what has happened? It is fair to say that in health and care, consumer technology has seemed to lag behind other sectors.

This may be partly because we don’t have a private purchase culture for health products. Too many companies create relatively expensive, difficult-to-use and cost-ineffective hardware. Today, our phones can do all sorts of amazing things. But regulation may be holding back innovation, and we haven’t had the proper ethics policy debate about privacy, risk and whether being able to monitor our health means we should.

Social care hasn’t had the money to invest. Ageism has contributed to a situation where innovation is focused on the equivalent of another emergency alarm rather than a device that helps us do what we want.

Nevertheless, the common criticism that technology hasn’t adapted to our increasing longevity is nonsense.

We are using data better than ever to improve health. Localised and personalised services, for example, allow policymakers to quickly understand the impact of policy decisions and target resources where they are most needed.

Relatively affordable health monitoring is now available. My Garmin watch is at pains to tell me that it is “not a medical device” even though it monitors my respiration, heart rate, V02 Max levels, sleep patterns, and stress levels. It also tells me how many intensity minutes and steps I’ve done and what my body battery is (I don’t know what this means either) before I get to the thing I want to measure, which is how far I’ve jogged or cycled this month.

Today, almost everyone uses the internet. Most of us have access to more information than we could ever consume via a phone or other device at home. Yes, digital exclusion is still an issue, indeed more severe, as it becomes more challenging to do things without technology. But it isn’t the same challenge as it was a decade ago.

We have seen vast strides forward in the usability and accessibility of technology. Google made the internet easy to use, and Apple made phones intuitive. Inclusive design is now mainstream.

Technology has adapted to the fact that more of us are older. It’s just that we don’t need many services targeted at us just because of our age. We don’t need a Facebook for older people. We have Facebook. We don’t need a different TripAdvisor to help us know if a place is accessible to wheelchairs or offers vegan food. Instead, we need Google and TripAdvisor to capture this information.

People of all ages use CityMapper and other apps to help them navigate public transport. The gaming industry has recognised that not everyone playing is aged under 30. Social media is no longer the domain of the young.

We need technology to help us do what we want, whether that be buying tickets for concerts, helping us get to our favourite restaurants or gossiping with our friends. And it is doing so.

What happens next?

It’s hard to conceive that the next 25 years will witness the same technological changes as the past, yet we will still see significant change.

We are racing from notes and coins to electronic payments. Retailers are moving online, and physical stores are changing their look and feel. Amazon Fresh has stores without checkouts.

There are undoubtedly economical and social opportunities for technology to respond better to longevity and ageing. The Metaverse may or may not be the next big thing. Still, whatever happens, it’s hard to conceive that the industry won’t recognise our increasing longevity and the need to innovate to respond to the challenges and opportunities.

This blog is part of a series of blogs reflecting on change over the past 25 years celebrating ILC’s 25th anniversary. Join us at our 25th Anniversary Future of Ageing conference on Thursday 24 November 2022 and help us shape the sort of technology and innovation we want and need for the next quarter of a century.