Social and Cultural Changes

Social and cultural changes

With the changes in social culture, the development of high-tech products has been greatly affected. The development of technology products is influenced by demographic characteristics, wide-ranging attitude changes and cultural trends. Changes in society and culture may have long-term or short-term effects on technology education services. (Environmental Analysis (PEST) | Strategic Planning for Your Startup)

Demographic trends: aging

Since the 1950s, the baby boomers of Canada have been pushing the tide of the population - filling schools, universities, and workplaces. Now, census data shows that the number of Canadians over the age of 65 is increasing - this is the first time in Canada that there are more seniors than young people.

“The reason is basically that the population has been aging in Canada for a number of years now and the fertility level is fairly low, below replacement levels,” said Andre Lebel, a demographer with Statistics Canada.  (Young)

The aging population contributes to the development of technology education services, and the provision of technical course services for the elderly will help them to use mobile phones and laptops proficiently. How to use social software to reach out to their families, how to use GPS positioning systems to reduce the risk of getting lost and get safe protection, Providing science and technology education for the elderly will enable them to further integrate into society so that they no longer feel lonely.

Communication and engagement:

For baby boomers and younger people, life is unimaginable without email, chat, web surfing, Facebook, smartphones, video games, Skype and text messages. Older people may not be familiar with these social software and online platforms to keep them connected and informed. Technical services can solve this problem with a simplified technical or voice-first interface. If GreatCall and grandPad devices are available for older people, larger, brighter, faster smartphones will be more suitable for older people than today's general-purpose tablets. Voice-priority interfaces such as Alexa or Google Assistant can raise the standard for a family social experience. CareCoach puppies or Hasbro's companion pets can serve the elderly.

Safety and security:

Eighty percent of older adults today live in their own homes – with 32% of the 65+ women aand 18 of the age 65+ men living alone. Nowadays, many elderly people live alone at home. If they slip down in the bathroom or hit by a heart attack, their family members or children aren't there right away to take care. To prevent the elderly from being at risk in their homes, technology services can provide smart home sensors and home alarm system services for the elderly. After the sensor was installed, the cloud computing system that connected the sensors in the elderly new that the person usually got up between 7:40 am and 8 am. If the sensor on the bed does not detect the action until 8:30 am, the system will automatically notify the family. (Yang, E. (2018, January 23). Living Independently in a Smart Home: Elderly Care. Retrieved from https://mysmahome.com/feature/42674/living-independently-smart-home-elderly-care/)

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