Marginalizing groups with artifacts
One artifact that can have barriers for elderly people are computers. Many elderly people with difficulty seeing like my grandparents can’t use a computer because looking at the monitor strains their eyes and they can’t read text. They can’t really take advantage of the new technology if they have vision problems and haven’t grown up with computers. There are aren’t many objects in society comparable to computers now, except cell phones, which most elderly people are not familiar with. This makes it very difficult to learn how to use one. In order to learn how to use one the elderly must go to a library or senior center where they may have classes on how to use it. Not having access to or knowing how to use a computer severely limits the amount of information they can receive. Certain specific information they may be looking for may not be available other than the Internet. It is hard to just rely on what TV, newspapers or community fliers might tell you. The Internet makes it much easier to find exactly what you need by searching for it. I think this inability to use computers by the elderly takes a lot of power away from them and gives it to younger people who know to use the technology. For example if have been a newspaper designer for years and can’t learn how to design a newspaper using computer programs like InDesign, you will probably lose your job to someone who can work the new and more efficient technology.