Apr 30, 2012
Will you have enough?
According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute,
only 22 percent of workers 55 or older have more than $250,000 put away
for retirement. Stunningly, 60 percent of workers in that same age
bracket have less than $100,000 in a retirement account. The average
savings for someone near retirement in America right now is $100,000.
Even with Social Security, that’s not going to last very long.
Apr 23, 2012
Connecting, not conversing
The allure of texting, email and posting is that they let us present the self we want to be.
Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and MIT professor, suggests this means we can edit, we can delete, or retouch. Not too much, not too little — just right.
We are tempted to think that our little bits of online connection add up to real conversation, but they don’t. She says email, Twitter and Facebook all have their places in work and play, but they do not substitute for conversation.
We use conversation with others to learn to converse with ourselves. What we lose in substituting connections for conversation is the chance to learn skills of self-reflection. We have little motivation to post something truly self-reflective. Self-reflection in conversation requires trust, she says. It’s hard to do anything with 3,000 Facebook friends except connect.
Read the complete article.
Sherry Turkle, a psychologist and MIT professor, suggests this means we can edit, we can delete, or retouch. Not too much, not too little — just right.
We are tempted to think that our little bits of online connection add up to real conversation, but they don’t. She says email, Twitter and Facebook all have their places in work and play, but they do not substitute for conversation.
We use conversation with others to learn to converse with ourselves. What we lose in substituting connections for conversation is the chance to learn skills of self-reflection. We have little motivation to post something truly self-reflective. Self-reflection in conversation requires trust, she says. It’s hard to do anything with 3,000 Facebook friends except connect.
Read the complete article.
Apr 16, 2012
Social networks - is smaller better?
The average Facebook user in the U.S. has 245 friends, according to a study published by the Internet and American Life Project of the Pew Research Center.
The Dunbar number, however, is 150 – anthropologist Robin Dunbar suggests that is the effective neurological limit the human brain can handle. Dunbar says social networks resemble a set of concentric circles: 150 is the outer boundary; 50 is the limit for trusted friends; 15 for good friends, 5 for best friends.
What are the implications for social media tools inside companies? I tend to think we view those networks and communities differently than a social network. What do you think?
The Dunbar number, however, is 150 – anthropologist Robin Dunbar suggests that is the effective neurological limit the human brain can handle. Dunbar says social networks resemble a set of concentric circles: 150 is the outer boundary; 50 is the limit for trusted friends; 15 for good friends, 5 for best friends.
What are the implications for social media tools inside companies? I tend to think we view those networks and communities differently than a social network. What do you think?
Apr 4, 2012
70 is the new 50?
One of the running gags among aging Baby Boomers is some twist on "50 is the new 40." I have no idea if this thinking is unique to my generation, but there is a good deal of truth in the axiom. We are living longer, so it's logical that someone 50 today with a life expectancy of 80 is "younger" than when my parents were 50. But there are inherent stereotypes associated with age that hold back progress. (The phrase "don’t trust anyone over 30” was coined during The Free Speech Movementat U.C. Berkeley in 1964.)
The World Health Organization has identified these:
- Older people are "past their sell-by date"
- Older people are helpless
- Older people will eventually become senile
- Older women have less value than younger women
- Older people don't deserve health care
The WHO concludes: It is not age that limits the health and participation of older people. Rather, it is individual and societal misconceptions, discrimination and abuse that prevent active and dignified ageing.
The World Health Organization has identified these:
- Older people are "past their sell-by date"
- Older people are helpless
- Older people will eventually become senile
- Older women have less value than younger women
- Older people don't deserve health care
The WHO concludes: It is not age that limits the health and participation of older people. Rather, it is individual and societal misconceptions, discrimination and abuse that prevent active and dignified ageing.
Apr 2, 2012
We are getting older
5 interesting stats from the World Health Organization:
- The number of people age 60 and over has doubled since 1980
- The number of people age 80 and over will almost quadruple by 2050
- The number of people 65 and over will outnumber children under the age of 5 within the next 5 years
- People 65 and older will outnumber all children under the age of 14 by 2050
- The majority of older people live in low- or middle-income countries. By 2050 the number will have increased to 80%.
- The number of people age 60 and over has doubled since 1980
- The number of people age 80 and over will almost quadruple by 2050
- The number of people 65 and over will outnumber children under the age of 5 within the next 5 years
- People 65 and older will outnumber all children under the age of 14 by 2050
- The majority of older people live in low- or middle-income countries. By 2050 the number will have increased to 80%.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
