One of the reasons why I was always interested in longevity beyond age records was the different experiences and lifestyles that people of different generations had. An extremely old person who remains alive is to a great extent the last ambassador and witness of his own perception of the world. This has never been of greater interest than in the last century with the rapid social/political changes and the evolution of technology.

An 80-year-old (or a 110-year-old) today is quite different from an 80-year-old(or an 110-year-old) in 2000 and will be even more different in some decades to come, especially in countries that in the middle of the 20th century experienced intense changes and in some cases became homogenized with more global modern cultural standards and ways of life

An important factor here is technology, and especially the Internet, which creates a completely different perception of the world and could be characterized as distorting the human experience (there are many philosophical approaches regarding this topic, for example the creation of a "hyperreality" - the boundaries between the real and the unreal blur). Heidegger (1889-1976) had expressed a very interesting perspective on this mediation of technology in how we see the world, but this is something that has become much more emphatic through the modern digital world. He could be characterized as kind of a "prophet".

This is not theoretical, I think all we have witnessed some sudden technological breakthroughs that fundamentally altered the way of life.

I remember as a child when, around early 2010, smartphones were advertised massively in mobile phone shops in Greece for the first time, along with big ads for the game Angry Birds. It was a real revolution that swept everything in no time and they came to stay.

While they started as something exotic and rare, very quickly they became absolutely popular and finally came to be a basic part of our lives for work and entertainment and a kind of extension of the hand. The youngest generations have only ever known this reality, while the older ones have kinda forgotten how they lived before.

In most developed countries over 85% of its residents use the Internet and there are some approaching or reaching 100%.. (Internet users are defined as persons who accessed the Internet in the last 3 months from any device, including mobile phones).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... rnet_users


Personally, I have been close only to 2 people still alive who have never used a smartphone or the internet and they are both in their 90s (my paternal grandmother and an aunt).
Of course, the normal use of the Internet has nothing to do with addiction, but it is interesting to observe how, generation after generation, we immerse ourselves more and more in a more artificial perception of the world.

However, technology and the internet have many benefits and can make our lives extremely easy, provide us with information and help. As far as I know, this also extends to the field of longevity. A person who tries to learn new things and use them to his advantage shows an adaptability that can be a survival advantage

At older ages, a person suffers greatly from loneliness and monotony;he cannot work, it is difficult to keep up with the schedule of the younger ones, friends have died. Monotony and loneliness are often the most immediate mortal enemies and a smartphone can easily offer higher quality communication with loved ones, entertainment, information, mental exercise that prevents the mind from ceasing to function. I see this with my maternal grandmother who benefited greatly from switching to a smartphone a few years ago and learning many of its functions/apps. Could this help to have more engaged older people and even (super)centenarians leading to greater longevity and better quality of life?

So it's interesting that every time there are 2 sides to the story and it would be nice to hear other opinions on this topic.