Granny @ Work: Aging And New Technology On The Job In America Granny At Work

In Granny @ Work , Karen Riggs - a renowned expert on aging - shows how employers, software engineers, and public policy makers are thinking about the roles older adults might play in the workplace of the future - and asks whether those on the front lines of corporate life are actually looking out for the interests of a greying workforce. She also examines dominant beliefs about aging and technology as seen in popular culture, ranging from films like Cocoon and Space Cowboys to speciality websites and magazines aimed at older workers. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Title......Page 3 Copyright......Page 4 Dedication......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 7 CHAPTER 1 The New, New Deal: The Post-Retirement Era......Page 8 Aging and Work......Page 11 New Technologies......Page 15 Complicating Age......Page 16 Content of the Book......Page 23 CHAPTER 2 Lost Boomers in Space: Aging Workers and the Soft Digital Economy......Page 26 Job Seeking: The Major Net Theme for Over-50s......Page 28 Aging/Work Forums......Page 33 The Aging/Work Message Boards......Page 36 Monster......Page 37 MSN’s Aging Horizons......Page 43 AARP......Page 45 Aging/Jobs Community Themes......Page 46 Conclusion......Page 58 CHAPTER 3 An American (Techno) Legend: Women, Age, and the Harley-Davidson Workplace......Page 60 Chrome and Leather......Page 62 Talking with Women at Harley-Davidson......Page 65 Gendered Anxieties......Page 67 Home-work......Page 76 Seeing the World from Harley......Page 77 Biker Chicks: Proliferating Contradictions......Page 80 CHAPTER 4 “Granny, Go Ahead, You Won’t Tear It Up”: Central-City Elders Go Computing......Page 83 Intersections of Age, Race, Gender, Social Class—and Work......Page 84 Older Women at Work......Page 87 Ora-Lee: Taking Time for Herself in Retirement......Page 88 Jeanne: “On My Own and I Like It Fine”......Page 90 Agnes: Challenging Racism......Page 92 Betti: Sharing Her Blessings......Page 95 Eradean: Urgency for Marcus......Page 96 Intersections on the Superhighway......Page 97 CHAPTER 5 Use It or Lose It: The Self-Programmable Elder......Page 103 Self-Programmable Labor Perspective......Page 108 Generic Labor Perspective......Page 112 Advancing Society......Page 113 CHAPTER 6 Wizards, Space Cowboys, and (of course) Sean Connery: Film Images of Aging Workers......Page 116 Fairy Tales: The Crone, the Wizard, and the Magic of Technology......Page 118 The Child Becomes the Father......Page 129 Revisionist History......Page 140 Conclusion......Page 151 CHAPTER 7 Who You Callin’ Dude?: Magazine Advertisers Discover Older Workers......Page 154 Geeks and Grannies......Page 160 Geek Mystique: Tables Have Turned......Page 161 Pop Knows Better (Than to Ask a Geezer)......Page 163 Tool Time: Use It or Lose It......Page 164 Active Aging: Keep the Upper Hand......Page 165 Regulating Bodies through Advertising......Page 166 Aging Workers on a Continuum......Page 168 Leisure Workers and the Partnership of Marriage......Page 171 CHAPTER 8 How to Win Matures and Influence Boomers: Intergenerational Communication Through Self-Help......Page 175 Intergenerational Crossings in the High-Tech Establishment......Page 177 Managing Generations......Page 179 Gen X: The Future is Now......Page 188 Boomers: It’s All About Me......Page 190 Matures, Traditionalists, Silents—the Elders......Page 191 Our Aging World: Is the Sky Falling?......Page 194 Endnote: Gray is Beautiful......Page 195 CHAPTER 9 Driving with Dad: Intergenerational Journeys on the Superhighway......Page 202 Mentoring Relationships: New Directions......Page 212 Intergenerational Empathy at Work......Page 214 Technology Skills Acquisition for Enhanced Aging......Page 215 CHAPTER 10 The Digital Divide’s Gray Fault Line: Aging Workers, Technology, and Policy......Page 217 Policy Solutions......Page 223 Tailor Retirement Systems for Individual Differences......Page 224 Elder-Friendly Policies......Page 225 Make the Educational System Nondiscriminatory......Page 226 Governments Must Stop Discriminatory Practices Against Older Workers......Page 227 Images of Aging Workers: Representations Must Shift Toward Inclusiveness......Page 228 Stop Retrofitting Physical and Social Architecture to Shoehorn Disabled Citizens into a World for “Normals”......Page 229 New Ways of Envisioning “Learning Communities” Can Ensure Intergenerational Successes for the Work Arena......Page 230 Academics Must Stop Ignoring Age and Aging......Page 231 The New Age......Page 232 Notes......Page 234 Afterword......Page 252 Index......Page 254 The Advancing Age of Baby Boomers, who are living longer and retiring later, has generated an unprecedented number of older workers in America. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the population of workers 55 and over will practically double from 18 million in 2000 to more than 33 million by 2025. In Granny @ Work, Karen Riggs -- a renowned expert on aging -- examines how this older workforce is coping with radical technological changes being introduced to the workplace -- from e-mail to automation. Drawing on extensive interviews, she brings to light what employers, software engineers, and public policy makers seem to be thinking behind the scenes about the roles older adults might play in the workplace of the future -- and asks whether those on the front lines of corporate life are actually looking out for the interests of a graying workforce. Riggs also challenges dominant beliefs about aging and technology as they are disseminated in popular culture, offering incisive analysis of a wide range of material from films focused on older characters such as Cocoon and Space Cowboys to specialty websites and magazines aimed at older workers. Granny @ Work is an impassioned comment on aging, work, and technology in American culture. As Riggs challenges popular assumptions with surprising research -- for example, people over the age of 60 spend more time on the Internet than people of any other age group -- and trenchant cultural critique, she also forces us to confront the deeply entrenched ageism in today's technology-driven workplace. The New, New Deal: The Post-retirement Era -- Lost Boomers In Space: Aging Workers And The Soft Digital Economy -- An American (techno)legend: Women, Age, And The Harley-davidson Workplace -- 'granny, Go Ahead, You Won't Tear It Up:'central-city Elders Go Computing (with Jacquelyn Vinson And Amy Lauters) -- Use It Or Lose It: The Self-programmable Elder -- Wizards, Space Cowboys, And (of Course) Sean Connery: Film Images Of Aging Workers -- Who You Callin' Dude?: Magazine Advertisers Discover Older Workers -- How To Win Matures And Influence Boomers: Intergenerational Communication Through Self-help -- Driving With Dad: Intergenerational Journeys On The Superhighway -- The Digital Divide's Gray Fault Line: Aging Workers, Technology, And Policy. Karen E. Riggs. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 243-255) And Index. In Granny @ Work, Karen E. Riggs-a renowned expert on aging-shows how employers, software engineers, and public policy makers are thinking about the roles older adults might play in the workplace of the future