Connected or Excluded: Technology as an Ally (or Barrier) to Longevity

Aging well today also means aging connected. And technology can be a bridge… or a border.

Digital longevity: promise and paradox

Aging is not the same as aging well. And in the 21st century, aging well is no longer the same as aging connected. As life expectancy increases, technology —that invisible environment embedded in our daily lives— can be a powerful ally… or a new form of exclusion.

Longevity promises more time to learn, work, and share. But it also brings challenges: reduced mobility, increased dependency, greater need for connection and care. In this context, technology could help safeguard rights, support autonomy, and keep us connected — as long as it doesn’t become a privilege for the few.

From interface to inclusion

According to Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, the relationship between aging and technology has gone through several waves: first, adapting devices to aging bodies; then, sensors and smart homes; later, the view of the senior market as an economic driver.

Today, says Coughlin, we need a fourth wave: one of technological equity. Because advances do exist, yes — but they don’t reach everyone equally.

The pandemic exposed that gap: while some were making video calls and working remotely, others were left isolated, with no connection, no tools, no support. Internet access was revealed as an essential right. As Coughlin put it: “broadband is the new water.” Connectivity is dignity.

It’s not just technical. It’s political, economic, and cultural

The problem is not only infrastructure. It’s also cost, design, training, and trust. While many older adults want to use technology, devices are not always accessible, intuitive, or safe.

We lack clear guidance, personalized mediation, meaningful support. We have too many stereotypes, invisible barriers, and solutions designed without input from those who will use them.

Technology that doesn’t include, excludes.

Four keys to real inclusion

1. Universal access.

Basic connectivity must be guaranteed as a right. Without it, there is no full participation. And in many rural or vulnerable areas, this is still an unresolved issue.

2. Meaningful training.

It’s not enough to teach “how to use a phone.” We need to support digital inclusion with purpose: to communicate, learn, care for ourselves, participate. This is where a new key figure emerges: the gerontological digital mediator. It’s not just about tech skills, but about relational sensitivity, adaptive pedagogy, and deep understanding of the aging process. A bridge figure — who supports without infantilizing and translates without imposing.

3. Safety and trust.

Technological solutions must be reliable, ethical, and transparent. Empty promises and opaque data collection cannot be tolerated. Critical digital literacy is now part of the right to information.

4. Real participation.

Older people must be involved from the design stage — not as “end users” but as co-creators. If they are not consulted, not heard, nothing will be built that truly responds to their needs.

Democratizing innovation

Technology can help detect falls, monitor health, simplify procedures, maintain relationships, or stimulate learning. But for this to happen, innovation is not enough. We must democratize innovation.

Universal design, accessibility ethics, and digital justice are no longer optional. They are the new pillars of dignified longevity. Without them, we risk widening the gaps of age, income, and autonomy — rather than closing them.

Technology to keep inhabiting the world

Aging in the 21st century should not mean disconnecting from the world. It should be another way —wiser, slower, more mindful— of continuing to inhabit it fully. A way to participate, to choose, to keep being.

Technology can support that presence. It can become a tool that connects generations, sparks creativity, enables continued learning, or simply brings us closer to those we love. But to do that, it must stop being designed only from engineering, and start being designed from life itself.

Because longevity also needs a digital revolution. One that leaves no one behind.

OPEN QUESTION

Has technology ever made you feel closer… or farther away?