The Illusion of Choice

I found myself thinking about my 74-year-old mother today. My mother doesn't use the internet. She doesn't have an email address. She has no desire to learn or engage with the new world of Web 2.0. She still writes checks to pay all her bills. She goes to the bank to conduct any of her banking tasks. She even goes to her favorite department store to pay her credit card bill in person.

There are many individuals who make a conscious choice not to use the various online services and social media platforms. I personally know many who choose not to use Facebook, for example, as a matter of principle. They feel that Facebook, and other online social media, is partially responsible for a dilution of substantive human relationships. I know others who choose not to pay bills online or conduct online banking because they believe it is not secure. Although I don't necessarily agree with their views, I am very glad that they have the right and freedom to make those choices--that they can be self-directive in the style in which they choose to live their day-to-day lives. I wonder if we will reach a point in our progress when those individuals will no longer have a true choice to abstain from an interactive, online existence.

The last time I was in Utah visiting my mother, she needed to pay a bill before an impending deadline. If she sent a check in the mail, the payment would not get there in time. There was no longer a physical office to which she could go to pay the bill in person. The only option that existed was to pay the bill online. My mother had never done such a thing before. She does not even own a computer and has never used the internet. Thankfully, I was able to access the appropriate organization and pay the bill using my smart phone. I have no idea what my mother would have done had I not been in town with my smart phone in hand. Her payment would have been late, and she would have had to pay an additional a fee, which is significant for a person on a fixed income.

I worry what will happen to my mother, and others in similar situations to hers, if the advancements of online communities and Web 2.0 begin to edge individuals out of being able to make the choice to not use certain online resources. Will these individuals be forced to adapt, or be left behind, or have to engage in an interpersonal style that is not of their choosing? Does a choice really exist when it comes to this topic?

I have faith in people and in the systems they create. I am encouraged when I see cell phones that are designed specifically for those who have no experience with the technology, especially the elderly. I hope very much that organizations will continue to provide alternatives to those for whom online methods are difficult or out of reach for any reason. I hope that we will be careful not to leave some individuals behind as our culture continues to advance at an accelerated rate.