12 Technology Skills Worth Learning Now

You don't need to understand technology. You need to know how to make it work for you.

There is a sentence men over 60 should consider removing from their vocabulary:“I'm too old for all this technology.”You're not.You may not particularly like it.You may remember when a telephone was attached to a wall, television had three channels and the most complicated piece of technology in the house was the video recorder nobody could programme.But the world has changed.Banking is online.Appointments are online.Travel is organised online.Photographs are stored online.Tickets arrive on phones.Cars contain computers.Artificial intelligence can answer questions, plan journeys and help you learn.Friends and family communicate digitally.And unfortunately, criminals have moved online too.You don't need to become a computer expert.You don't need to understand coding.And you certainly don't need to spend your evenings discussing processor speeds.But there are some digital skills that increasingly make modern life:easier, safer and more independent.For Men Rewritten, that's what technology after 60 should be about.Not gadgets for the sake of gadgets.

Capability.

Here are 12 technology skills worth learning.

1. Learn Your Smartphone Properly

Most of us own remarkably powerful computers and use perhaps 10% of what they can do.We call.Text.Check the weather.Take photographs.Perhaps use Facebook or WhatsApp.But your phone can also help you:navigate,translate languages,scan documents,store tickets,make video calls,identify music,set medication or appointment reminders,access maps,manage travel,pay for things,and contact emergency services.The objective isn't learning every feature.It's learning the ones that improve your life.Start with:MapsCameraCalendarNotesContactVideo callingVoice assistantEmergency featuresThen build from there.

2. Stop Being Afraid of Settings

This is one of the biggest differences between confident and unconfident technology users.Confident users aren't necessarily more intelligent.They're simply willing to look.Something is too loud?Settings.Text too small?Settings.Notifications annoying?Settings.Screen difficult to read?Settings.Don't like something?Look for:SettingsPreferencesAccessibilityor the familiar gear symbol.Modern devices contain excellent accessibility features including larger text, magnification, voice control, captions and hearing-related settings.Technology should adapt to you.You don't always have to adapt to it.

3. Learn Password Management

This one matters.

If your passwords look something like:Arsenal1962Arsenal1963Arsenal1964we need to talk.

Using simple or repeated passwords makes it easier for criminals to gain access to multiple accounts if one password becomes compromised.The UK's National Cyber Security Centre recommends using three random words to create strong, memorable passwords and advises using different passwords for important accounts.A password manager can go further by creating and storing strong, unique passwords so you don't need to remember every one.Your phone, browser or dedicated password-management service may already include this capability.Learn how it works.One afternoon spent improving password security can protect years of personal information.

4. Turn On Two-Step Verification

Sometimes called:2FA two-factor authentication

or

two-step verification.

The terminology sounds technical.The principle isn't.Normally you log in with:something you know — your password.Two-step verification adds another check.For example:a code,an authentication app,or confirmation from another trusted device.The National Cyber Security Centre recommends enabling two-step verification on important accounts, particularly email, because it adds another barrier if somebody obtains your password.Start with:your main email,financial accounts where available,shopping accounts,social media,and cloud storage.Your email is particularly important because password-reset links for other services often arrive there.Protect the front door.

5. Learn to Recognise a Scam Before You Learn Another App

This might be the most important technology skill in the entire article.Modern scams are becoming sophisticated.Fake delivery messages.Bank warnings.Investment opportunities.Romance scams.Fake police calls.WhatsApp messages supposedly from children.Fake websites.QR-code scams.Emails claiming an account is about to be closed.And increasingly, AI can make fraudulent messages, voices and images more convincing.The UK National Cyber Security Centre advises people to be cautious about messages creating urgency, authority, emotion or scarcity and recommends reporting suspicious messages rather than automatically trusting them.

Create one simple rule:

Urgency means slow down.

If somebody says:Act now.

Transfer the money immediately.Your account will be closed.Don't tell anybody.This offer expires today.Stop.Don't use the contact information contained in the message.Contact the organisation independently through a number or website you already trust.

6. Never Be Embarrassed to Check

Scammers rely partly on embarrassment.Men don't like admitting:“I'm not sure whether this is genuine.”Good.Be unsure.Uncertainty can protect you.Before transferring money or giving personal information, call:your bank,the supposed sender,your son,your daughter,your partner,or somebody technically confident.There is no prize for independently losing £5,000.Ask.

7. Learn Digital Banking — Without Becoming Careless

Online and mobile banking can be extremely useful.

You can:check balances,transfer money,pay bills,freeze some cards,review transactions,receive notifications,and spot suspicious activity quickly.But convenience shouldn't become complacency.Never give somebody your full banking credentials because they claim to be from your bank.Don't allow unexpected callers to pressure you into moving money.And don't assume caller ID proves who somebody is.A legitimate organisation will survive you hanging up and independently contacting it.Your money.Your pace.

8. Learn Contactless and Digital Payments

Cash hasn't disappeared.But modern payment options are increasingly useful.Contactless cards.Phone payments.Digital wallets.Online checkout.Travel payments.Learning these doesn't mean abandoning cash.It means having options.Imagine you're travelling and:your wallet is misplaced,a ticket machine doesn't accept cash,a restaurant wants card payment,or you need to book something online.Digital capability creates redundancy.And redundancy creates independence.

9. Learn Maps and Navigation

This single skill can transform travel.Modern mapping apps can:provide driving directions,show walking routes,find restaurants,locate petrol stations,identify public transport,save destinations,show traffic,and help you find your way through unfamiliar cities.If you're travelling abroad, learn how to save locations before leaving.Hotel.Airport.Railway station.Car park.Restaurant.Attraction.Then you're not repeatedly searching from scratch.Technology should reduce travel stress.

10. Learn How to Use QR Codes

You sit down at a restaurant.No menu.Just a strange square pattern on the table.You stare at it.It stares back.Welcome to the QR code.Usually, you simply open your phone camera and point it at the code.A link appears.Tap it.That's it.QR codes are now used for:menus,tickets,travel,payments,events,parking,information,and check-insBut remember our earlier rule.A QR code can lead to a malicious website too.Don't blindly enter sensitive information simply because a square on a wall told you to.Technology requires convenience and judgement.

11. Learn Video Calling Properly

This isn't merely a technology skill.It's a relationship skill.Children move.Grandchildren move.Friends relocate.Families spread across countriesVideo calling can keep relationships alive between physical visits.Learn:WhatsApp video,FaceTime if you use Apple devices,or whichever service your family actually uses.Then learn the basics:camera position,microphone,speaker,switching camera,joining group calls.And perhaps most importantly:don't hold the phone six inches below your chin.Nobody needs that view.

12. Learn Artificial Intelligence

This is the big one.AI is not simply something young people in technology companies are playing with.Tools such as ChatGPT can already help ordinary people:explain difficult subjects,plan trips,generate ideas,translate,learn technology,write drafts,understand documents,prepare questions,compare options,learn skills,create recipes,and explore unfamiliar topics.But there is an important principle.

Use AI as an assistant, not an authority.

AI systems can make mistakes.They can misunderstand questions.They can produce information that sounds confident but is incorrect.

For important decisions involving health, law, finance or safety, verify information using authoritative sources and appropriate professionals.But for everyday learning?

AI can be extraordinarily useful.

The Best Way to Learn AI Is to Use It

Don't read twenty articles about artificial intelligence.Open an AI assistant and ask:“Explain artificial intelligence to me as if I've never used it before.”Then:“Give me five things you could help a retired man of 67 with.”Then:“Help me plan a three-day trip to Edinburgh.”Then:“Explain how to use WhatsApp video calling.”Then:“Teach me beginner photography.”The conversation itself becomes the lesson.You don't need to understand how the engine works before you drive the car.

Learn How to Ask Better Questions

AI becomes much more useful when you provide context.

Instead of:

“Where should I go on holiday?”

Try:

“I'm 66, reasonably fit, enjoy history, walking and good food. I want a seven-day European holiday in September without hiring a car. Suggest five destinations and explain why each suits me.”Better input.Better output.The same principle applies to most technology.The machine needs to know what you want.

Don't Put Everything Into AI

Capability also requires boundaries.Don't casually paste:passwords,bank details,authentication codes,highly confidential information,or information you wouldn't want stored or processed by an online serviceinto AI systems.Learn what a tool is appropriate for.Use AI to help plan the holiday.Don't give it your bank password to pay for it.

Learn Cloud Storage

Another phrase that sounds more mysterious than it is.The cloud basically means your information is stored on remote computer systems and can often be accessed across your devices.For example:photographs,documents,contacts,notes,and backups.Services such as Apple iCloud and Google Drive can help keep information accessible across devices.The important skill isn't understanding cloud infrastructure.It's understanding:What is backed up?Where are my photographs?What happens if I lose my phone?Could I recover my information?Find out now.Not after the phone disappears.

Back Up Your Photographs

Your photographs aren't really protected if the only copies exist on one phone.Think about what those photographs contain.Children.Grandchildren.Parents.Friends.Holidays.Birthdays.People who may no longer be here.That's not merely data.That's part of your life.Learn how your phone backs photographs up.Then occasionally verify that it actually works.Technology fails.Phones get lost.People accidentally delete things.Backup is boring.Until the day it isn't.

Digitise Old Photographs

Here's an excellent project.Boxes of photographs.Slides.Albums.Family pictures.Pictures with people nobody has identified.Start scanning them.Organise them.Add names.Add dates.Share copies with family.This connects Modern Man with Purpose & Mindset and Relationships.You're using modern technology to preserve something old.That's exactly what technology should do.

Serve your life.

Learn Online Travel Properly

Modern travel becomes significantly easier when you can confidently:book flights,compare hotels,download boarding passes,use railway apps,store tickets,navigate airports,translate text,check timetables,and receive disruption alerts.Don't wait until you're standing in an airport abroad to learn how the airline app works.Practice before leaving.Competence reduces stress.

Download Before You Leave Home

Tickets.Boarding passes.Hotel address.Insurance details.Maps where possible.Important booking information.Don't assume you'll always have:Wi-Fi,mobile data,battery,or a perfect signal.Technology works brilliantly.Until it doesn't.A capable modern man uses technology while retaining a backup plan.

Learn Basic Troubleshooting

Before declaring:“It's broken.”Try:Restart it.This remains one of technology's great mysteries.Computer behaving strangely?Restart.Phone app frozen?Close and reopen it.Internet problem?Check the connection.Bluetooth device not connecting?Turn Bluetooth off and back on.Printer?We won't discuss printers.Some battles cannot be won.

But learning a few basic troubleshooting habits stops every minor technical problem becoming somebody else's emergency.

Search the Exact Problem

Don't search:“Phone not working.”Search:“iPhone 15 won't connect to home Wi-Fi.”Or:“Samsung phone text too small how to enlarge.”Specific questions produce useful answers.And increasingly, you can ask AI the same question conversationally.Technology literacy isn't knowing every answer.

It's knowing how to find the answer.

Learn to Update Your Devices

Those annoying messages:Update available.Don't ignore them indefinitely.Updates often include:security improvements,bug fixes,and important software changes.The National Cyber Security Centre recommends keeping devices and applications up to date because updates frequently contain fixes for known security vulnerabilities.Where appropriate, enable automatic updates.Let the machine do some of the work.

Remove Apps You Don't Use

Open your phone.How many applications are sitting there that you:don't recognise,haven't used in three years,or downloaded once because somebody told you to?Delete unnecessary clutter.Fewer apps can mean:less confusion,fewer notifications,and less information being shared with services you no longer use.A modern man doesn't need more technology.He needs technology that earns its place.

Turn Off Most Notifications

Ping.Email.Ping.News.Ping.Football.Ping.Shop.Ping.

Some application informing you about something you never asked to know.Technology is supposed to serve your attention.Not constantly steal it.Keep notifications that matter.Turn off the rest.Your phone doesn't need permission to interrupt you 85 times a day.

Learn Privacy Basics

You don't need to disappear from the internet.But understand what you're sharing.Check:location permissions,camera permissions,microphone permissions,contact access,social-media privacy,and application permissions.Ask:

Does this app genuinely need this information?

A weather application may need approximate location.A torch application probably doesn't need your contacts.Use judgement.

Don't Broadcast That Your House Is Empty

You're sitting beside a pool in Spain.Wonderful.Photo.Caption:“Three weeks away from home starts today!”Perhaps post it after you return.Publicly advertising that you're thousands of miles from an empty property isn't necessarily the smartest use of social media.Technology has made sharing effortless.It hasn't made all sharing wise.

Understand Deepfakes

This will become increasingly important.AI can generate or manipulate:images,video,and voices.That means seeing or hearing something is no longer always enough to establish that it's genuine.Imagine receiving a call apparently from a family member:“Dad, I've had an accident. I need money immediately.”The voice sounds right.That's precisely why modern scam awareness matters.Consider establishing a family verification method—a question or agreed phrase that an outsider would be unlikely to know.And if something feels wrong:hang up,then contact the person independently using the number you already have.

Technology Should Increase Independence

This is the central point.Learning technology after 60 isn't about appearing modern.It's about being able to:book your own travel,manage appointments,navigate,communicate,access information,protect yourself,solve problems,store memories,learn,and participate in a changing world.Every useful digital skill reduces the number of times you have to say:“Can you do this for me?”That's worth something.

But Asking for Help Isn't Failure

There will still be times when you don't understand something.Ask.Your son.Daughter.Grandchild.Friend.Shop assistant.Course tutor.Online guide.AI assistant.But don't simply hand over the phone and say:“You do it.”Instead say:

“Show me how to do it.”

That's the difference.One solves today's problem.The other increases tomorrow's capability.

Take Notes

When somebody shows you something:write it down.Not passwords.Instructions.For example:

How to video call Sarah

1. Open WhatsApp.

2. Find Sarah.

3. Tap camera symbol.

Simple.

You don't need to remember everything immediately.Create your own technology manual.Eventually you won't need it.

Let Your Grandchildren Teach You Something

This can reverse the usual relationship beautifully.You're normally the one with experience.Now let them teach you:video editing,gaming,AI,smartphones,social media,photography,whatever they understand.Then perhaps you teach them:how to change a tyre,cook something,use tools,manage a garden,or something else you've learned over decades.Knowledge moves both ways.That's a relationship.

Don't Try to Learn Everything

You don't need:

TikTok,cryptocurrency,gaming PCs,coding,virtual reality,ten social networks,and every new application launched this week.Ask:

Will learning this improve my life?

If yes:learn it.If no:ignore it.Technology should be selective.

The Men Rewritten Technology Audit

Give yourself one point for each statement you can confidently answer yes to:I can use smartphone maps.I can make a video call.My important accounts have strong, different passwords.I use two-step verification where appropriate.I can recognise common scam warning signs.My photographs are backed up.I can access important documents digitally.I can make basic digital payments.

I know how to install software updates.

I can adjust basic phone settings myself.

I know how to use an AI assistant.

I know what to do if I receive a suspicious message.

Don't worry about the score.

Look at the missing skills.

Those are your next projects.

The 30-Day Modern Man Technology Challenge

Don't attempt everything at once.

Week One — Security

Improve your main email password.

Check password reuse.

Turn on two-step verification.

Learn how to recognise phishing.

Week Two — Smartphone

Learn one new phone function every day.

Maps.

Camera.

Calendar.

Video calls.

QR codes.

Accessibility.

Emergency features.

Week Three — Independence

Learn:

digital tickets,

online appointments,

travel apps,

cloud backup,

and basic troubleshooting.

Week Four — Artificial Intelligence

Use AI for something useful every day.

Plan a walk.

Learn a recipe.

Research a hobby.

Understand a technology problem.

Create a travel itinerary.

Learn something new.

After thirty days, technology will feel less like something happening to you...

and more like something working for you.

Don't Become Digitally Old Before You're Physically Old

This is the risk.A man is perfectly capable at 65.But he stops learning technology.At 70, there are several things he no longer understands.At 75, more services have changed.Now the gap feels enormous.So he avoids them.Then depends on somebody else.The answer isn't trying to keep up with every technological trend.It's much simpler.

Never stop learning the next useful thing.

One skill.

Then another.

That's enough.

The Modern Man Isn't Defined by His Age

He doesn't need to dress like he's 25.Talk like he's 25.Use every social network.Buy every gadget.Or pretend technology never frustrates him.The modern man after 60 is simply willing to say:“I don't know how this works yet.”The important word is:

Yet.

Men Rewritten

The world isn't going to become less technological.AI will improve.Phones will change.Cars will become smarter.Services will move online.Scams will become more convincing.And new tools will appear that none of us understand today.You have two choices.Gradually retreat from that world.Or keep learning enough to participate in it.Not because you're desperately trying to stay young.Because you value:independence,security,curiosity,connection,andcapability.You don't need to master technology.You need to make technology useful.Learn the phone.Protect your accounts.Recognise scams.Back up your memories.Use maps.Video call the family.Try AI.Ask questions.Keep learning.Because the modern world doesn't have an upper age limit.

Stay current. Stay capable. Stay in control.

That's what being a modern man after 60 looks like.