Adults over 65 admit they’re baffled by digital terms including ‘smartphone’

A study of 2,000 seniors over 65 discovered that one in six find digital terminology bewildering. In the top 20 list of confusing terms are “hyperlinks”, “phishing”, “the Cloud”, “processor”, “malware”, and “USB-C”. Eleven percent find digital terms harder to grasp than a foreign language. BT Group, in conjunction with AbilityNet and lexicographer Susie Dent, have created a digital dictionary to assist older people with these terms. The research revealed that 54% wished to enhance their digital abilities, but 17% did not have the motivation to do so.