'Gran, you can't pay at the counter any more. Everything's online now!' This line, heard in countless households, perfectly captures the plight of an entire generation caught in the whirlwind of a forced digitalisation that has accelerated dramatically in recent years. The pandemic was merely the catalyst for a transformation long in the making, but which erupted with a speed that left no time for adaptation.
The digitalisation of public and private services has become not merely an option but an absolute necessity. Medical appointments, utility payments, tax declarations, even basic shopping — all have migrated into the virtual sphere with a rapidity that has left millions of people behind. And we are not speaking of people who resist progress, but of a vulnerable group that simply did not have the time needed to adapt to the new digital realities.
This 'forced digitalisation' — the term that defines the sudden and compulsory transition towards exclusively digital services — has created a profound social fracture. On one side stand the younger generations, digital natives, who navigate apps and online platforms with ease. On the other stand older people, a demographic group that represents a significant proportion of the population, yet has been effectively abandoned in this race towards modernisation.
The principal tension is not between progress and conservatism, but between the speed of technological implementation and the human capacity for adaptation. When essential services become available exclusively online overnight — without alternatives and without adequate support programmes — a dangerous void is created. This void is systematically exploited by cybercriminals who have identified older people as the perfect target: individuals who desperately need to access digital services, but who lack the tools necessary to protect themselves.
