I once read a story on WhatsApp itself. An elderly grandmother lived alone in a village. It had been many years since she had met her family members, all of whom were scattered across different cities. One day, she invited everyone to spend a night with her. She thought it would be wonderful to sit together, talk endlessly, and relive old memories.
On the appointed day, family members—young and old—started arriving one after another. Partly because they too had not met the grandmother for a long time, and partly out of respect for her. But the story takes an interesting turn from here.
Almost everyone who had been invited arrived. They respectfully greeted the grandmother, enquired about her well-being, exchanged a few casual conversations, and then… each one became absorbed in their mobile phones. Everyone had a smartphone. Initially, they compared phone features with one another, and then some got busy checking their Facebook status, some scrolled through Instagram, while others remained occupied on WhatsApp. The very purpose for which the grandmother had gathered everyone together remained unfulfilled.
In truth, this is the story of almost every household today. To overcome loneliness, senior citizens too have now started depending on these mobile phones. Among all the available technologies, WhatsApp undoubtedly occupies the number one position for them. There are several other social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Telegram, Instagram, and many more, but for elders, WhatsApp remains the most popular. The reason is simple—it is extremely easy to use. Through it, one can not only talk but also see each other through video calls. Group calling is also possible.
At a certain stage of life, what people need most is simply someone to talk to. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have family around them all the time. Some children live away because of their careers, some relationships become strained over time, while others sadly have no close family at all. In such situations, many seniors are left to live alone. For senior citizens—especially those living by themselves—their closest companion today is often their mobile phone, and within it, WhatsApp.
Of course, elders must remain cautious about online frauds on mobile phones. When even young people are becoming victims of digital scams, senior citizens need to be especially careful.
A survey conducted by Never Say Retired revealed that after WhatsApp, Facebook is the next most preferred social media platform among seniors.
At this age, our mobile phones are capable of doing far more than we often realize. In fact, many features available today are perhaps not fully understood or even used by younger people. Under such circumstances, if senior citizens choose to use mainly WhatsApp, there is nothing surprising about it.
The amount of content circulating on WhatsApp these days is enormous. Sometimes one wonders how anyone finds the time to go through it all. There are family groups, friends’ groups, religious groups, entertainment groups, political groups—and every group carries its own stream of messages. However, when some groups become flooded only with greeting messages throughout the day, it can certainly become irritating.
Nowadays, countless videos are specifically created keeping senior citizens in mind. Videos showing elderly people dancing, singing, practicing yoga, or performing exercises are becoming increasingly popular. And most of us end up watching all of these through WhatsApp.
The survey I mentioned earlier also revealed some interesting facts. Almost everyone surveyed used WhatsApp, spending anywhere between half an hour to four hours daily on it. They read messages and forwarded the ones they liked. However, only a small number of people actually created or wrote original content themselves.
This raises an important thought in my mind—have we gradually stopped using our own creativity? We simply read messages created by others and forward the ones we like. Can we change this trend someday?
Another question asked in the survey was about the kind of messages people preferred on WhatsApp. Three options were given—entertainment, religious, and political messages. While most people liked all kinds of content, entertaining messages turned out to be the most popular.
There are also many groups that spread highly positive and useful information. Here, I would like to offer a suggestion.
Create a WhatsApp group consisting entirely of senior citizens—friends or relatives—preferably those living nearby. Every morning, each member should post a simple greeting message such as “Good Morning,” “Ram Ram,” or anything similar. The purpose is not merely greeting; it is a way of marking attendance and confirming one’s well-being.
Suppose one morning a member does not post any message. In that case, someone from the group should immediately contact them through a phone call or, if possible, visit their home to ensure everything is alright. The person may genuinely need help.
Today, when so many elderly people are living alone, such a small initiative can become immensely meaningful and valuable.
Author
The author is the founder of the Never Say Retire mission. In order to achieve this goal, he also runs this website and his Facebook group Never Say Retire Forum has Hundreds and Thousands of members today.
