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According to one popular saying, change is the only constant thing in the world. However, we humans enjoy our routines. So, whenever something threatens to disrupt the status quo, we put our guard up. With time, it might let certain novelties through, but not all.
This is especially evident in a Reddit thread started by platform user Wizzmer. Last week, they made a post on r/AskOldPeople, inviting the community's members to list the technologies they avoid as much as they can. Below, you will find their replies.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I hate the internet connected dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, etc. I do NOT need to talk to my appliances and I do not need to pay extra for it. It's just one more thing which can break.
We got in touch with Wizzmer and the Redditor agreed to have a little chat with us.
"I was hanging clothes on the clothesline, and I realized we don't own a clothes dryer or dishwasher," the author of the post told Bored Panda about its origins.
"That's when the idea to ask this question popped into my head."
RELATED:
#2
Alexa, Siri, any "smart home" voice thing.
SlayerOutdoors:
This. I'm 41. Not that old and very tech savvy. These things have no place in the home. If you start getting ads for roofers after talking about needing a new roof with your wife? You'll see why.
Robert Trebor 6 days ago
Totally bothered me when I found out the Roomba makes a map of the house and sends it over the internet.
#3
TikTok.
I work with teenagers. Several have asked if I have a TikTok account. They promise my (future) TikToks would be popular & I could grow a following.
I roll my eyes or sneer at people who're obviously performing for their phones.
I don't want to be TikTok popular.
Daniel Atkins 6 days ago
What will they do if /when it gets banned in the US? I saw a news story where a tik tok influencer was wondering how they were going to make a living now. Hard to feel sorry for someone without a backup plan.
Interestingly, refusing one technology or another is probably more of a personal choice rather than a generational trend toward tech in general. For instance, a recent AARP survey found that older Americans are about as likely as those under age 50 to own a smartphone, tablet, or other device.
Nearly 9 out of 10 Americans (89% of those 50-plus and 90% of those aged 18-49) own a smartphone, according to the national poll conducted online in the fall of 2023. Among both age groups, 75% of respondents have smart TVs, and 59% own tablets.
Notably, as overall spending on tech dropped from $912 per person in 2022 to $798 in 2023, purchases by adults in their 60s and 70s rose.
#4
QR menus.
Verukins:
QR codes to order food/drinks.
Hard to find what you are after.... but impossible to explain allergies... there's no talk back and forth to clarify things in case "if there is sesame on the burger, it will kill me" isn't well enough understood.... and people without allergies never understand it.
brownishgirl:
I don’t own a cell phone. It gives me great pleasure to ask for a menu.
#5
I have no use for keyless door locks. I’m an avid early adopter of most technology, but I don’t like the idea of a hackable door into my residence.
edit: I know that if someone wants to get into my home badly enough, they are getting in. I just want them to work for it.
SolitaryIntrovert 6 days ago
The Senior complex I live in is smart enough to know that fancy locks and seniors do not mix,so we all have "old-fashioned" keys.
Wizzmer is a living example of this. "I was in software development for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control," they said. "I'm fine with all technology."
So when it comes to factors that drive people to resist certain innovations, the Redditor believes they can vary dramatically depending on who you ask. "I can't speak for all people," they said. "The appliances [I'm not using] are [simply] rare in Mexico where I 'snowbird.'"
#6
90% of my internet usage is still on a laptop. Why work with a tiny keyboard and a tiny screen when you don't have to?
#7
AI for writing. I'll compose my own goddamn e-mails <—note the hyphen), thank you.
AnotherPint:
This. The examples I've test-generated come out smarmy and synthetic-sounding, like a book report by a glib a**-kissing teenager who hasn't actually read or understood the book.
What's depressing is how many people think the AI-produced output is just fine, because it's spelled right. But it's voiceless mulch.
Debby Keir 6 days ago
Never tried AI to write anything, but hated predictive text (particularly when talking about medical stuff re work - some of the goof ups it caused!) I make sure it's disabled on any device I use.
Upstaged75 6 days ago
Sometimes I like the predictive text in my work email since I write similar messages quite frequently. Other times I hate it because it comes up with stupid options that don't make sense. I've learned to work with it.
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Guess Undheit 6 days ago
I downloaded two AI programs, Kobold and Ollama, but they are on a computer WITHOUT an internet connection. Most AI generated text is garbage, the same repetitive phrases over and over. It's all filler, no substance.
Richard Wareham 6 days ago
I agree about the writing - if you cant compose it yourself, it isn't yours. But, it is a useful tool to get ideas and will find very obscure items and events that you might want to research. I also use it for transcribing Old English text and documents into modern English.
Hippopotamuses 6 days ago
I simply can't listen to AI generated voices on YouTube videos. They're cringeworthy. If a creator can't be bothered to narrate a video properly, I can't be bothered to watch their content.
Doctor Strange 5 days ago
AI for ANYTHING. All AI 'art' is theft. There is NO ethical AI, it is nothing more than automated plagiarism.
Kathy L 5 days ago
I don’t think AI even does things very well. The artwork usually looks creepy, fake, and messed up. The writing seems fake—it reads like a kid who plagiarized an essay. We need to use AI only for tedious things like putting stuff in alphabetical order. That’s about all it’s good for. My brain works better than AI.
Hyacinth (Any pronouns) 6 days ago
Agreed, if I'm going to write garbage, you'd better believe it's gonna be MY garbage.
Beak Hookage 6 days ago (edited)
I didn't spend over twenty years and multiple degrees getting good at this to hand the job over to a brainless machine, even if it's just a trivial facebook post. The constant automated suggestions that I do so are incredibly insulting to me.
Sarah Suelzle 6 days ago
I agree it shouldn't be relied on word for word but I do like to use it as a "jumping off place" for emails or other texts where I have a hard time organizing my thoughts. I take the AI text and then gradually re-work it and edit it to make it my own.
Sebastián Rodríguez 5 days ago
There's no "intelligence" in AI. Is just fast plagiarism and copyright infringement. As an artist, I hate the direction AI has.
Uncle Schmickle 5 days ago
AI is a curse to humanity because people will use it instead of their brain. I liked the use of the hyphen. It seems to have mostly disappeared from grammar and writing.
iseefractals 6 days ago
We use Chat GPT for product descriptions for listings in our store, and social media/advertising posts. Describe the things your selling, list some keywords to include and how many words you want it to be, and you're 90% of the way there. Same for social media posts, except with the additional demand of "generate 10/20/30 variations" I absolutely loathe having to do that stuff. But yes, it's a very situationally useful tool.
Orange Panda 6 days ago
If I end up back in the unemployed ocean, I will definitely learn AI because I can't write a cover letter to save my life. Until then, I don't need it.
Bartlet for world domination 5 days ago
Remember to switch some paragraphs around and add/delete a bullet point here and there, because the recruiter will receive many similar ai-generated applications.
Load More Replies...
Crystal Taggart 6 days ago
I can get more done in minutes with AI than I can in an hour. How much are you gaining by doing this manually?
Kathy L 5 days ago
Do you want it done fast, or do you want it done well?
Load More Replies...
CrunChewy McSandybutt 6 days ago
This will probably get downvoted into oblivion - BUT - AI is here, people. And it's not going away. AI is the next big thing akin to the invention of the Internet. I get not wanting to be dependent on it, but if you don't learn how to use it then you will be left behind.
One area where there seems to be some sort of negative generational consensus is artificial intelligence.
The aforementioned AARP survey found that 85% of Americans aged 50-plus have heard of generative AI; however, just 9% reported using it, and 60% of respondents are undecided about its impact.
#8
So many new appliances and devices have apps. Sometimes you don't have a choice but to download their app to setup whatever the thing is. My fridge has an app that gives me a report on how many times the door gets opened. I don't give a s**t and I have notifications turned off for these apps. I just want to plug a fridge in, set the temp, and have it work for a hundred years like my parents' old Frigidaire did when I was a kid (although maybe use a LITTLE less power).
Richard Graham 6 days ago
I'm 72 years old. I, too, refuse to use this technology. Silly, and just asking for frustration when it doesn't work. Also not very secure.
#9
Honestly, most cloud storage solutions as primary. If I want to save something, I want it under local control.
Robert Trebor 6 days ago
I do not use the cloud. My stuff is mine. I use a thumb drive to move stuff between my desktop and my laptop.
#10
It’s not necessarily technology, but a service made possible by technology.
I won’t DoorDash/postmates/grubhub. It’s ridiculously expensive and would make me feel very lazy and entitled.
(I acknowledge that If I were disabled at all, I’d probably feel differently.).
Carl Roberts 6 days ago
Doordash is the worst. At my local Wendy's, a "Biggie Bag" is $6 (and you can choose their "saucy nuggets" at no extra charge). On Doordash, the biggie Bag is $8.75 plus a $1.25 "upcharge" for the saucy nuggets. Plus the service fee and tip. That $6 meal ends up costing $15
#11
Facebook.
skyshock21:
Anything owned by Meta.
Sven Horlemann 6 days ago
After Suckerbergs "fact checking is censorship" announcement (it is not you moron), yeah. Hope he suffocates with his head up Tr*mp's a**.
#12
A car driving itself. Stupid.
John Harrison 6 days ago
When we perfect it, the massive drop in injuries and fatalities won't seem stupid.
#13
QR Codes.
hey_nonny_mooses:
Anyone can slap a qr code of a virus on a menu and people just download mindlessly.
KnightOOwl 6 days ago
My older sister bought a pack of 500 QR codes, for her and her kids to prank people. If you scan one you get rickrolled! They've stuck them all over Scotland on everything from buses, trains and ferries to random posters, shop windows etc. It's so wholesome watching their joy when they imagine people's reactions, they just want to make people smile!
#14
I don't have a system that automatically puts the blinds down in the evening and somehow my life is still tolerable.
#15
I wouldn't say I *refuse* to use ChatGPT, but I've never bothered to learn how and I don't really care.
cingalls:
I took a few classes on how to use AI. It was presented favourably, I understood it well and still consider it hot garbage.
Don Adams 1 week ago
I would rather they find a solution for natural stupidity than work on artificial intelligence. If you look at a lot of professional (work related) correspondence, and some subject/comment matter online, composition and structure are starting to fade away, to join spelling as a lost art.
#16
Twitter.
Twitter used to be a decent place to get information and was fun sometimes. I now use Threads for the fun and Bluesky for news. Eff that X app.
#17
I will not read books on my phone or a kindle or anything like that. Some of the glory of reading is the faint smell of the book, how it feels in your hands, the turning of the pages, and also just generally doing something that is not staring at a screen.
Nils Skirnir 6 days ago
I like printed books. However, as I get older and older, electronic text is much easier to read. I can easily increase text size, etc.
#18
An Apple product. Purely and simply because of what they did to the Apple II community when the Mac came out. It's my longest running grudge and I'll take it to the grave with me.
A TV. Got one in the living room that hasn't been on in over 15 years.
#19
Smart watch.
Joeuxmardigras:
I’ve never really wanted one, and don’t feel like I need it. I have a friend who bought the new $800 one from Apple and added cellular to it. I can get a nice Swiss watch for that price and it’ll last a lifetime.
#20
I use a cell phone, but I refuse to have any banking apps on the phone. And not Venmo or any of those other money transfer apps.
Richard Graham 6 days ago
There is no private data on my phone; no banking or financial or shopping aps. I think you are just asking for trouble.
#21
Smart thermostat, doorbell, appliances, speakers. I read about a guy who couldn’t turn on his ceiling fan when AWS went down. Seriously- who needs a cloud enabled ceiling fan. I only use a streaming device on my TV - I won’t give LG access to my network. Electronic companies can brick your stuff if they want. I can always get a cheap streaming device if they want it bricked. I get my streaming device from my internet provider. They already know what I am doing.
I stopped using my fitbit when I decided I really didn’t want google to know my sleep patterns.
#22
Self checkout. If there are no cashiers, I'll take my business elsewhere.
MidAmericaMom:
I am not a fan 1. as I am one of those people with a full grocery cart. It can’t handle it. 2. they Always seem to be broken or need someone to clear some whatever issue 3. A grocery I used to shop, no cash allowed. The lineup for the normal line can be huge as many use cash at that store. As I do 1 - I skip that store.
PositiveAtmosphere13:
I'm not being paid to do it, and they're taking away jobs for others.
#23
Your f*****g app that re-invents the web browser with less functionality. No, I would NOT like to download and install it now.
#24
Cash apps linked to my bank accounts.
Betsy S 6 days ago
In Canada we don't have cash apps. We use debit cards that take the money right out of our bank account (not using credit) and we have E-Transfer where you send money directly from your bank account to someone else's, but you do that on your bank account site. I'm not aware of doing that with a phone.
#25
Ring doorbells and similar.
I don't want any personal data in the cloud, unless its encrypted with a key *I* control.
#26
Robot vacuums that can livestream while I’m on the toilet.
Richard Graham 6 days ago
One technology that is proving unpopular is a toilet that livestreams.
#27
Pod coffee makers. They're my probably-irrational rant topic.
Don't own dishwasher or microwave. or air fryer. sous vide cookery sounds ridiculous to me.
bentnotbroken96:
Pod coffee maker: an expensive way to make sh**ty coffee.
#28
Amazon.
Apprehensive_Run_539:
It’s ruining our economy one item of junk at a time.
#29
I try to use and embrace as much technology as I can, but I refuse to use a kiosk to order fast food. No thank you, I will do without.
Robert Trebor 6 days ago
I use these, as often there is no one at the register for endless moments,
#30
I am often mocked for not using a dishwasher, but honestly I don't use a lot of dishes and can easily just wash them myself in 30 seconds as opposed to running a dishwasher for 20 minutes. Never had one growing up. Never needed one.
Featherytoad 6 days ago
When I had one in my pervious home, I always ran out of dishes before I had a full load, or I had to wash something that was sitting in the dishwasher because it was the only one I had. It's only me now, and it's not a big deal to wash the few dishes I have.
#32
Snapchat.
Lydia Koncsics 6 days ago
I mean.. It's 100% marketed and used by young people so this isn't very shocking
#34
Home Pod. Ring Doorbell. Any Security company.
Get past the dog, I'll hear it. Coming up the steps, a 4 D Cell Mag Light to the head.
Then i'll call 911.
Charles McChristy 6 days ago
I'm fairly certain this guy poses in front of the bathroom mirror in nothing but a towel with his little flashlight.
#35
I refuse to get a smart watch, or blue tooth headphones, and only use my clothes dryer in the coldest months.
I wish I didn’t have any of it but life, work, kids. Have a love/hate with the kindle. My eyesight makes it unpleasant to read an actual book, but I miss them.
R.A. Haley 6 days ago
I'm hard of hearing, so bluetooth headphones stop my wife from telling me to turn down the tv.
#36
Rice cookers, bread makers, Alexa, Ring cameras. The first two just take up counter space and the last two suck up more information about you than giving you information about the outside world.
PandaGoPanda 6 days ago
I live in Japan and the first two are my go-tos (although only the rice cooker gets kitchen counter space- room is too small so the bread maker lives in the dining room-cum-office next to the computer printer). EVERYBODY has a rice cooker, in a culture that eats rice up to three times a day, and I will never go back to cooking it in a saucepan. Bread maker because Japanese bread is soft, pappy, white and tasteless so as someone who grew up with decent bread I need a bread fix sometimes.
#37
I don't use GPS/navigation, because I've noticed it causes people to lose their sense of direction. People don't even know street names, so I was trying to help someone with directions, and they didn't even know the names/numbers of the major interstates and highways.
Jrog 6 days ago
This is just stupid. Multiple peer reviewed studies -some of them by the NIH- demonstrated that GPS navigation greatly improves driver's safety, reduce workload wile driving, improve driver's alertness, reduce stress and reduce wasted mileage. Analysis of database of insurance claims in the Netherlands demonstrates that people driving without Satnav are more cause damages and on average cause more damage costs per km. Connected GPS systems are also very useful in danger avoidance and advance alerts, as well as beacons for calling help. If anything, GPS should be mandatory.
#38
We don't have a microwave. We don't eat much processed food and I can melt butter in a sauce pan.
What do you think ?
Matt Du 6 days ago
All of this would sound a lot more convincing if they weren't posting to a *social media site* from their *phones*
Judes 5 days ago
Why are you assuming they are on phones? I'm not currenly on a phone.
Load More Replies...
Lotekguy 6 days ago
I never understood why anyone would want a toaster or refrigerator that's smarter than they are.
Ken Beattie 5 days ago
Sounds like that's a perfect reason lol If they're not smart enough to figure out toast or when they need to buy milk maybe they NEED all the help they can get.
Load More Replies...
Cee Cee 6 days ago
My energy company in the UK has finally given up trying to persuade me to have a smart meter. Far too many stories of these things going rogue and firing off massive meter readings and bills into the thousands. I already know how to reduce usage and have no problem sending monthly meter readings. Have also resisted the lure of social media etc.
Boo 5 days ago (edited)
5 years ago we had an engineer out to install one and they had a look at our set up and said they can't touch it as the box has asbestos in it, said they'd send someone out to deal with it and heard nothing. A year ago Ovo contacted us again to install a smart meter and we explained about the asbestos, they said that the engineer could deal with it, so we set up an appointment. Day came and the engineer said she couldn't touch it and that Scottish Gas would have to get rid of it, said they'd make a report and we'd hear back shortly. Have heard nothing, but yet we still get calls and letters about installing a meter. I just want this to stop!
Load More Replies... Bill Evs 5 days ago
Some of these are a bit odd. I can understand the aversion to appliances with unnecessary smart features etc but what's wrong with a rice cooker, bread maker or microwave? As tech goes they're pretty harmless. Even tumble dryers have their place. Line drying will always be my preferred method but I live in a country where it seems to be raining 95% of the year and I live in a old house that already suffers badly with condensation build up. For my family of four (which includes a teenager) being able to wash and dry clothes quickly has become a necessity.
Kathy L 5 days ago
My question about new technology or new ways to do something: Is it REALLY going to be better than the current method? Or will we have to spend the same amount of time and effort dealing with apps, making an account for every fvcking thing, making up passwords, and being dead in the water if the wifi is out? If a change really does make things easier, I’m all for it. But are we just trading one set of hassles for a new set of hassles?
Bob Jones 6 days ago (edited)
The only people I have met who say dishwashers are unnecessary are people who have never had one. Th e best part is that you don't have dirty dishes lyring around all the time. you use something, then put it straight in the washer and it is hidden from view. When it is full you turn it on. Simple
Little Bit 5 days ago
You don't have dirty dishes lying around all the time when you wash them by hand. I certainly don't anyway. You wash them, dry them and put them away hidden from view. Simple. A dishwasher doesn't wipe the worktops down either.
Load More Replies...
Arcady Royzen 6 days ago
So, some of these comments make zero sense considering that microwaves, washers and dryers were staples of American households sine the 50s/60s. However, many older boomers have a panic while using technology despite the fact that they actually saw this technology being developed when they were much younger. Internet showed up in the 90s over 30 years ago, so saying that they are not using it only means that they NEVER have beyond of what was required from them, mostly at work. TBH, not all of the new tech is great, but their reasonings are hilarious, to say it lightly. What i see is one generation that can't grasp what technology is and another generation (3 times removed) that will have no clue of how to survive if all this tech is gone.
BBBBBB MMMMMM 6 days ago
It is a window into people in society that you dont want in your inner circle isnt it.
Load More Replies...
ADDchallengedINFP-T 5 days ago
I don't use self serve, bank on my phone, fast food kiosks, I have a PC that works better than my tablet (yes, I have one) I also have Kindle e-reader and Kobo reader. But Also real books, which I like. However, I am not able to read paperbacks in bed, Need a light for that, and hubby doesn't get to sleep. Kindle has a screen that can adjust the brightness, don't forget the paperwhite. My treasure. In order to check something important, I had to download and app on my phone. That site didn't respect my pc, which is one magical laptop, latest model that can be switched to tablet. So, with my smartphone, smart watch , 5 e-readers, and real books, I am happy. Don't make me use those machines that want me to tip, can you believe it?
marianne eliza 6 days ago (edited)
Never anything financial on my phone. Never any social media. I don't even let my laptop or phone access my current location. And "smart" things aren't.
Matt Du 6 days ago
All of this would sound a lot more convincing if they weren't posting to a *social media site* from their *phones*
Judes 5 days ago
Why are you assuming they are on phones? I'm not currenly on a phone.
Load More Replies... Lotekguy 6 days ago
I never understood why anyone would want a toaster or refrigerator that's smarter than they are.
Ken Beattie 5 days ago
Sounds like that's a perfect reason lol If they're not smart enough to figure out toast or when they need to buy milk maybe they NEED all the help they can get.
Load More Replies... Cee Cee 6 days ago
My energy company in the UK has finally given up trying to persuade me to have a smart meter. Far too many stories of these things going rogue and firing off massive meter readings and bills into the thousands. I already know how to reduce usage and have no problem sending monthly meter readings. Have also resisted the lure of social media etc.
Boo 5 days ago (edited)
5 years ago we had an engineer out to install one and they had a look at our set up and said they can't touch it as the box has asbestos in it, said they'd send someone out to deal with it and heard nothing. A year ago Ovo contacted us again to install a smart meter and we explained about the asbestos, they said that the engineer could deal with it, so we set up an appointment. Day came and the engineer said she couldn't touch it and that Scottish Gas would have to get rid of it, said they'd make a report and we'd hear back shortly. Have heard nothing, but yet we still get calls and letters about installing a meter. I just want this to stop!
Load More Replies... Bill Evs 5 days ago
Some of these are a bit odd. I can understand the aversion to appliances with unnecessary smart features etc but what's wrong with a rice cooker, bread maker or microwave? As tech goes they're pretty harmless. Even tumble dryers have their place. Line drying will always be my preferred method but I live in a country where it seems to be raining 95% of the year and I live in a old house that already suffers badly with condensation build up. For my family of four (which includes a teenager) being able to wash and dry clothes quickly has become a necessity.
Kathy L 5 days ago
My question about new technology or new ways to do something: Is it REALLY going to be better than the current method? Or will we have to spend the same amount of time and effort dealing with apps, making an account for every fvcking thing, making up passwords, and being dead in the water if the wifi is out? If a change really does make things easier, I’m all for it. But are we just trading one set of hassles for a new set of hassles?
Bob Jones 6 days ago (edited)
The only people I have met who say dishwashers are unnecessary are people who have never had one. Th e best part is that you don't have dirty dishes lyring around all the time. you use something, then put it straight in the washer and it is hidden from view. When it is full you turn it on. Simple
Little Bit 5 days ago
You don't have dirty dishes lying around all the time when you wash them by hand. I certainly don't anyway. You wash them, dry them and put them away hidden from view. Simple. A dishwasher doesn't wipe the worktops down either.
Load More Replies... Arcady Royzen 6 days ago
So, some of these comments make zero sense considering that microwaves, washers and dryers were staples of American households sine the 50s/60s. However, many older boomers have a panic while using technology despite the fact that they actually saw this technology being developed when they were much younger. Internet showed up in the 90s over 30 years ago, so saying that they are not using it only means that they NEVER have beyond of what was required from them, mostly at work. TBH, not all of the new tech is great, but their reasonings are hilarious, to say it lightly. What i see is one generation that can't grasp what technology is and another generation (3 times removed) that will have no clue of how to survive if all this tech is gone.
BBBBBB MMMMMM 6 days ago
It is a window into people in society that you dont want in your inner circle isnt it.
Load More Replies... ADDchallengedINFP-T 5 days ago
I don't use self serve, bank on my phone, fast food kiosks, I have a PC that works better than my tablet (yes, I have one) I also have Kindle e-reader and Kobo reader. But Also real books, which I like. However, I am not able to read paperbacks in bed, Need a light for that, and hubby doesn't get to sleep. Kindle has a screen that can adjust the brightness, don't forget the paperwhite. My treasure. In order to check something important, I had to download and app on my phone. That site didn't respect my pc, which is one magical laptop, latest model that can be switched to tablet. So, with my smartphone, smart watch , 5 e-readers, and real books, I am happy. Don't make me use those machines that want me to tip, can you believe it?
marianne eliza 6 days ago (edited)
Never anything financial on my phone. Never any social media. I don't even let my laptop or phone access my current location. And "smart" things aren't.
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