Eszter Hargittai and I have been working on a book project for the past few years about how older people use new technologies. We’ve been delighted to partner with editor Joe Calamia and his team at the University of Chicago Press. This week, they told us it will be on the Spring, 2025 list–through peer review and so forth and heading into production. The title:

WIRED WISDOM: HOW TO AGE BETTER ONLINE

We are very excited about it. The book will describe the ways in which older adults–and that means 60+ in the World Health Organization’s vernacular–navigate the ever-changing terrain in the new digital world, from social media to their smartphones to the emerging AI universe. We have some new data to present, thanks to a major study Eszter and her team have carried out, plus we of course rely upon data and findings from the amazing scholars who come before us.

A major takeaway for me from this book project: we don’t spend enough time thinking about the needs of older adults when it comes to designing and improving new technologies. As our financial, health, social, and every other kind of life is increasingly digitally mediated all around the world, we need to get better at focusing on the needs of older adults in the digital realm. Lots to do, lots to learn, and lots that we can get right going forward if we make this important pivot.