DEREK Tink wears a wide brim fedora and seldom takes it off, even for a photograph.
He said it’s his brand and helps him fit in well with the casual dress code in many rural and regional communities.
Libraries and community centres are conduits for some of the programs he runs on behalf of the government initiative Act Now, Stay Secure.
“We work together to make digital learning accessible and inclusive with a big focus on safety,” he said.
“We refer to it as the ‘be connected network’.”
He explained it was mostly people over 65 that struggled to understand banking and shopping online, and this resulting in a thriving scam industry.
“There are groups at risk of digital exclusion and through thorough research we know 26 percent of people over the age of 65 never use the internet,” he said.
“That statistic may even be a little higher because there are also core groups at risk of digital exclusion like people with a disability and some indigenous communities.”
If you’re able to move seamlessly between the real and online world, you are lucky.
Almost every service once delivered from brick-and-mortar buildings is now tethered in the ether.
Even ATMs are starting to disappear from their ‘hole in the wall’ homes.
If you want to take out car or medical insurance, book a holiday, open a bank account or buy a house – it’s likely you’d need to do it online.
Imagine being older and with no experience in the digital realm.
You figured out how to use an ATM to do your banking when the branch closed, and now you need to move money using a computer.
It can be confusing and scammers and hackers know this and that’s why they target the elderly.
Mr Tink said the disparity had been recognised and he travelled the regions educating people how to navigate the internet.
“Everything is online, especially the Federal Government, there’s My Health Record, MyGov, the Department of Veteran Affairs and the NDIS,” he said.
“A lot of people need help to stay connected and we are doing everything we can to empower the individual and help them learn the steps needed to be involved.”
He is also part of the Scout movement.
“[Scouts] are facilitating a young technology mentoring program and inviting individuals aged 16 to 21 to think about becoming a digital mentor,” he said.
“We are particularly looking for students who might have finished their schooling for the year and have a few weeks free in December to get involved in the program.
“There are a lot of seniors out there who are at risk of isolation around this time, and we are encouraging them to think of others in the community during the December period.”
More and more artificially generated images (AI) are flooding social media and internet forums.
It’s becoming hard to spot what is real and what isn’t, and that applies to someone who considers themselves to be technology savvy.
“It’s important to get back to people face to face as much as possible because AI is coming into the communities at a rapid pace,” he warned.
“There is a lot of AI generated content which has potential to do harm.
“AI generated fake content, imagery and manipulation does bad things but there are also good things that technology brings.
“Young digital and technology mentors can help the community to get more connected and help them to spot something that could do harm.”
