In today’s era of mobile internet, the sheer variety of apps installed on our smartphones gives us sweeping control over daily conveniences at the touch of a fingertip. Mobile apps are generally separated into three categories. Social apps like microblogging site Weibo and messaging platforms WeChat and QQ allow us to interact and share information in real time. Mobile payment apps, like Alipay and WeChat Wallet, are used for settling bills or wiring money. And thanks to service apps, we can read news from The Paper, watch a video on hosting sites Tencent or iQIYI, hail a ride with Didi Chuxing, find a shared bike via Mobike or Ofo, and much more. Each of these apps takes all those previously irksome tasks and simplifies them into a few taps on our screens. To most young and middle-aged adults, the benefits of new technology far outweigh the disadvantages. These apps make life more convenient, comfortable, and efficient. Yet this attitude is not shared by many elderly Chinese. Instead, information technology has become a barrier, blocking them off from a fast-changing world. My father, who is 74 years old, has always approached life with curiosity about new things. Whenever he comes across something new, he simply has to try it out. He started shopping online and using Alipay long before I did, and he has since become a whiz at online apps. In a nutshell, he embraced the development of technology and is now reaping its benefits. My mother, on the other hand, . . . . read more Image: REUTERS/Nir Elias