- Tech services are increasingly reliant on young, tech-savvy people to explain products to older populations.
- Media depictions of older people not understanding technology often become self-fulfilling prophecies.
- Tech services must become more accessible for all age groups.
- Ingrid Cruz is a freelance writer based in Mississippi.
- This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
The first time it happened I didn’t notice it because it was too important. Around tax time, my family’s accountant told my mother to ask for my help scanning documents. More recently, my parents’ mortgage loan officer and cable provider suggested my parents ask their children for help with technical assistance.
These seemingly benign requests are part of a troubling trend of tech companies and services that rely on technology expecting young or tech-savvy people to do unpaid labor to help their clients.
Everything is online
There are myriad apps, gadgets, and services created on a daily basis that depend on basic tech know-how in order for people to use them and accomplish simple necessary tasks.
At the height of the pandemic, the use of services such as applications for
