Aging in the face of technology: the surveillance of bio-Others

As a result of improvements in health care, and increased life expectancies, older adults represent the most rapidly growing segment of society, with estimates suggesting that by 2030, 20% of the US population will be over the age of 65 (U.S. Census Bureau (2014). An aging nation: The older population in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/p25-1140.pdf). Technology is one reason why we are living longer, but it is also changing the ways that we age. While older adults may represent an increased portion of our population, sociologists of sport have taken little interest in their sport, exercise, and health experiences. This paper explores what the future of aging bio-Others (Rail, G. (2015). The wellbeing imperative: On bio-Others, rescue missions and social justice. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Sociology of Sport Association, Paris, France) could look like. Will technology aid in independence and capacity? Or will it increase surveillance of bio-Others who are deemed dependent? With increasing concerns about the “burden” of older adults on the health care system, the medical community is increasingly turning to technology to address the issues of caring for older adults. How can wearable devices, robots, and self-driving cars change the ways that we monitor, and control the experience of aging?