In an age where search engines even provide life advice, where does the wisdom of the elderly go? We explore ways to overcome the generation gap and utilize the wisdom of the elderly in modern society.
There is an African proverb that says, “When an old man dies, it is like a library burning down.” This proverb means that the elderly are like libraries of wisdom, as they hold countless experiences and lessons learned throughout their long lives. In the past, the elderly played an important role in passing down the wisdom accumulated over many years to future generations and providing advice and counseling to others. They were respected by their children, grandchildren, and those around them. These cultural values have been passed down from generation to generation, and the elderly have established themselves as beacons of wisdom and guides for life at the center of families and communities. However, today, the elderly do not receive the same social recognition they once did. I also volunteered at a nursing home near my house when I was in high school. I participated in a project to help the elderly write their autobiographies and had the opportunity to share stories about their lives.
Many of them shared that they felt isolated from their families, lacked companionship, and suffered from loneliness at home before eventually ending up in the nursing home. This experience made me realize that the elderly are no longer regarded as important members of society. This issue is not merely a matter of individual isolation but is also closely tied to structural changes in society as a whole.
As of 2023, the proportion of the elderly population aged 65 and over in South Korea is 18.4%, and this number is increasing every year. Additionally, the fact that South Korea has the highest elderly suicide rate among OECD member countries is a clear example of the severity of the issue of elderly isolation. These statistics are not merely numbers; they clearly reveal that the elderly are being marginalized by society. Where does this phenomenon originate? What are the causes of the elderly losing their place in society and their social status?
These changes are not only related to social and economic factors such as the development of nuclear families and urbanization, but also to the rapid advancement of digital technology. In particular, the advent of search engines has become an important catalyst for fundamentally disrupting and accelerating the communication gap between the elderly and the younger generations.
Search engines first became an integral part of our daily lives in the 1990s. In 1993, with the introduction of the World Wide Web, known for its addresses beginning with “www,” it became possible to collect and search documents online. Subsequently, large-scale portal sites such as Google and Yandex were launched, attracting a large number of internet users. Services like Quora and Reddit were designed to allow users to post questions publicly and receive answers from other users. Sites like wikiHow became spaces where users could find advice on various topics, such as writing, overcoming internet addiction, and caring for pets, in multiple languages including Spanish, English, and Korean.
As such, the range of topics covered in the online world has expanded to include everything from interpersonal relationships to career issues, enabling users to find answers to all their concerns and questions online. Now, people are seeking not only simple information searches but also life advice, counseling, and emotional empathy—answers to questions about the human psyche—online. As a result, search engines have replaced the role of advisors traditionally played by the elderly.
Why do modern people choose search engines? This stems from the circumstances and lifestyles of modern people. First, modern people do not have the time to talk to people one by one to seek counseling or advice. Therefore, they want immediate responses to their questions and answers in the shortest possible time. In addition, modern people want to minimize consumption, and meeting people in person requires expenses such as meals and transportation, which can be a financial burden.
Online search engines satisfy these needs of modern people. One of the advantages of online search engines is that they allow users to obtain diverse answers and advice from an unspecified number of people. This enables users to view issues from various perspectives, unlike when seeking advice from a single elderly person. The ability to obtain new advice and answers at any time is also important. With the widespread use of the internet, it is possible to obtain the desired answers in a short period of time, and there are almost no time or financial costs other than the electricity required to use the internet.
In this situation, where search engines are replacing the role of the elderly, what methods can be used to restore the connection between the elderly and society? First, there are ways to promote communication through direct contact between the elderly and other social groups. This can be achieved through volunteer activities, which go beyond mere physical encounters and provide opportunities for the elderly to pass on their experiences and wisdom to future generations. For example, mentoring programs where the elderly and young people work together, or projects where the elderly write their autobiographies, can help document and share their lives. This allows the elderly to feel that they are still needed by society and to pass on their values to future generations.
In addition, there are ways to promote communication with the elderly by utilizing the online environment that modern people are familiar with. This involves creating a system where someone posts a question or concern on an online site, and an elderly responder provides an answer. Of course, this requires prior training in the use of smartphones and computers for the elderly.
It is important to provide educational opportunities for digitally illiterate seniors to access the digital world. The senior answer helper system, once established, will promote communication between young and old while taking advantage of the speed and convenience of the online world. Such a system does not simply serve as a means of communication; seniors can continue to use language, strengthen their cognitive abilities, and even prevent dementia through their online answer helper activities.
Above all, it will enable them to share valuable life wisdom and lessons and overcome loneliness caused by a lack of communication. This will also provide an opportunity for younger generations to respect the elderly and reevaluate their lives. A change in perceptions toward the elderly can bring about significant changes in society as a whole.
Of course, some may argue that it is difficult to give appropriate advice because the times in which the elderly lived and the current circumstances of the younger generation are different. However, human life holds meaning and value regardless of the era. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, said, “Listening to someone’s life story is like reading a book.”
Our lives are finite, and the number of experiences we can have is limited, so it is very valuable to gain indirect experiences through the lives of the elderly and learn from their lessons. It is like borrowing a book filled with the wisdom of life from a library called “the elderly.” With many libraries being neglected due to the marginalization of the elderly, an online answer helper system for the elderly could be the first step toward reviving these burning libraries.
This is not merely about restoring the social role of the elderly but also about creating a foundation for all generations to communicate, learn, and grow together. When society as a whole embraces such changes and strives to enhance communication and understanding between generations, we will finally be able to fully utilize the elderly as a treasure trove of wisdom.
