11 Modern Life Skills That Somehow Feel Impossible For Boomers To Master
Baby boomers value familiarity and connection over convenience and change.
stockfour / Shutterstock There are many misconceptions around baby boomers, often fueled by generational resentment and tension, that have caused them to be painted by some as “the selfish generation." However, their resilience, strong values, and commitment to tradition say otherwise, especially as they continue to adapt in an ever-evolving world. Of course, many are still stubborn in a variety ways, as is the case for any demographic of people, and many of the modern life skills that somehow feel impossible for boomers to master stem from that mentality.
Boomers typically appreciate familiarity, comfort, and connection over convenience, so when it comes to navigating the world and forming their routines, they don’t mind taking extra time in order to uphold their values and stick close to their traditional habits. Because of this, though, there are certain ways they simply cannot figure out how to move forward.
Here are 11 modern life skills that somehow feel impossible for boomers to master
1. Digital literacy
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According to a study published by Pepperdine University, many baby boomers have a basic sense of digital literacy online. They use social media, pay some bills online, and communicate with their inner circle using their phones. Especially for younger boomers, according to the study’s researchers, who utilize the internet more-and-more in their daily lives, it’s important for them to have an understanding of how to understand, communicate, and differentiate between threats and opportunities online.
As technology shifts at an incredibly fast pace, things like AI, fake news, and cyber security are becoming harder for older boomers to understand. The kind of digital literacy that protects them from scams, keeps their information safe, and helps them navigate social media with adverse consequences is one of the modern life skills that somehow feel impossible for boomers to master — despite them spending more time online than they did a decade ago.
2. Online banking
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According to the American Bankers Association, more than half of baby boomers don’t use or trust online banking services, preferring to spend the extra time paying their bills, managing their finances, and checking their accounts with paper options. Doing things like setting up autopay, transferring money from their phones, or opening up a new account online are therefore some of the modern life skills that somehow feel impossible for boomers to master.
Of course, this intentional choice may simply be a protective defense mechanism for baby boomers who know they don’t have the digital fluency or literacy to engage in these behaviors online. However, in other cases, it’s a lack of knowledge or a preference for familiarity over convenience that keeps them from learning.
3. Ordering an Uber
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A survey conducted by the AARP suggests that many boomers don’t frequently use — and aren’t open to trying — ride-sharing apps like Uber or Lyft. For many, this is based on familiarity and control. They prefer to drive themselves or grab a ride from someone they know rather than hop in a car with a stranger from an app they don’t fully understand.
The same is true for trust with self-driving cars and taxis. Baby boomers prefer to opt for familiarity and comfort in their daily lives at the expense of convenience with new apps and technologies.
4. Getting a digital boarding pass
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While many older millennials and Gen Xers are making the switch from physical to digital wallets, housing important information like their boarding passes on their phones when they’re traveling, many boomers are still uncertain about keeping their credit cards or flight information online.
In many cases, it’s simply a worry of accessibility. What if their phone dies? What if they don’t have their phone on them? What happens if it doesn’t work?
This is one of the modern life skills that somehow feel impossible for boomers to master, but if they’re navigating the world just fine with printed boarding passes, who are they offending?
5. Apple Pay or other digital wallets
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According to a survey by PYMNTS, baby boomers prefer to use traditional credit cards over digital options compared to their younger counterparts. For some, it’s a matter of security, while for others, it's simply about comfort and familiarity. They’re more used to carrying around a physical wallet than learning how to set up and use an online version.
Of course, there are certainly baby boomers who are technologically savvy and use things like Apple Pay, Uber, and online boarding passes regularly, but collectively, they’re more willing to stick to what they know.
6. Applying for jobs
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If you’re a Gen Zer and you’ve ever gotten advice from a grandparent on how to apply for a job or navigate the job market, chances are you were advised to print out your resume and start going door-to-door. While that kind of in-person interaction and community was certainly beneficial for many baby boomers early in their career, with the rise of online job platforms, social media, and the internet, it’s no longer considered the best way.
While a large majority of people do land jobs through their connections, according to a survey from TopResume, one of the best ways to get out of a rut in the job market is to do your best at leveraging the internet. From making new connections online to maximizing efficiency on job boards like LinkedIn and tailoring your experience and image online to suit your career, having the skill of marketing yourself online is often key for landing a job.
7. Setting up a new phone
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From transferring data from their old phones to fixing basic repairs and troubleshooting tech issues, many of the modern life skills that somehow feel impossible for boomers to master revolve around everyday technological devices that many younger generations spend their entire childhood learning about.
Of course, many baby boomers are still using technology, sometimes even more so than younger generations in their personal and professional lives. In fact, studies suggest that they collectively use their phones for the same amount of time, if not more than, their millennial counterparts.
But when it comes to troubleshooting repairs or figuring out what’s wrong with their phones, oftentimes that’s where there’s a disconnect between older generations and their phones. Things like factory resets, transferring photos to a new phone, or setting up an iCloud account — which Gen Zers learned and practiced from a young age — are not a basic life skill for many baby boomers.
8. Texting
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Of course, many baby boomers have and use their phones regularly, communicating with their inner circle, working, and doing basic tasks online, however many despise Gen Zer’s and millennial’s reliance on texting. They prefer to talk on the phone, not just because aging and unique physical struggles with changes in vision make texting more difficult, but because they appreciate what they view to be more sincere and genuine communication.
Coupled with their lack of familiarity — or rather, lack of comfortability — with slang and lingo around texting, they largely practice the skill of talking over the phone rather than texting.
9. Understanding that hard work doesn’t always equate to success
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In the same way they expect empathy and respect from younger generations, it’s necessary for baby boomers to do the same for their younger counterparts like Gen Z. By harboring a misguided mentality that the hard work they did to encourage their own success as young adults is something Gen Zers are choosing not to do. And that’s why they’re financially unstable or unemployed — they sabotage that empathy and understanding.
When they truly believe and perpetuate a mentality that hard work is the key to success, they not only encourage struggling individuals putting in the work to adopt guilt and shame, they blame people for their own misfortunes.
10. Recognizing AI photos and videos online
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While it’s true that many baby boomers don’t trust shifting technologies and AI, they also struggle to recognize AI on their phones and social media feeds. Whether it’s a photo of a celebrity online or fake news about an influential person, they’re often fooled by unrealistic AI images and headlines on a daily basis. It’s one of the modern life skills that somehow feel impossible for boomers to master, but of course, it’s not an easy task.
Especially as technology advances, it’s common for younger people who’ve spent their entire lives online to be fooled by AI disguised as reality — it’s simply a skill that takes practice and a keen eye to understand.
11. Differentiating fake news from reality
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According to a study published in the Current Directions in Psychological Science journal, adults over the age of 65 are more than seven times more likely than younger generations to engage with fake news. From using it as evidence for their beliefs to sharing it on social media, it’s often baby boomers that’re fooled by fake headlines, misguided research, and misleading articles.
Many people name digital literacy as the culprit — suggesting that baby boomers aren’t the “digital natives” that millennials or Gen Zers are, making it harder to differentiate between fake and real news online.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
