2022 Tech Trends Fact Sheet: Technology and African Americans Over Age 50

African Americans 50-plus are increasingly more comfortable using technology and continue to spend above pre-pandemic levels on tech devices they use daily. Nonetheless, their ownership and use of technology have remained constant from 2020, and so has their desire to connect with others and learn new skills. For example, they embraced online banking and shopping at a time when these tasks were difficult or impossible to do in-person and have continued to do so even when safety restrictions due to the pandemic have been lifted, demonstrating they may have been driven to their smartphones out of necessity, but remain there likely due to convenience. However, tech developers should not be complacent as three in ten (31 percent) feel tech is not inclusively designed for all ages with common complaints including poor design (8 percent), lack of training materials (14 percent), and poor user experiences (10 percent).