I am currently working with the Institute of Physics (IOP) on how we can best serve retired members. So it was by coincidence that today, Radio 4 included a segment about how intellectual stimulation could slow the ageing process.
I retired some 15 years ago. I saw retirement as an opportunity to work for myself on projects that interested me and, at the same time, encourage others to appreciate physics. I used to describe myself as “retired with a side hustle”. Over time, I have come to realise how helpful social media can be, and how AI can accelerate what I am trying to achieve.
My first encounter with social media started with sites like Friends Reunited and has slowly evolved through Facebook to Instagram. Like many physicists, my career developed from research and development into commercial and managerial roles. In my case, that meant sales and marketing of high-value systems in technology companies. Inherently, I understood the value of networks, so social media seemed an obvious enhancement to my life.
Through it, I have established contact with undergraduate friends, maintained links with work colleagues, and even connected with my school physics teacher from the 1960s. It was when I launched a crowdfunded side hustle, the PiKon, that I was really able to explore the power of social media as a marketing tool, something that provided much interest as a retired marketeer.
My Instagram evolved into “Replacement Hipster”, a term the Urban Dictionary describes as an older person who finds, without trying, that they are back in fashion. The definition talks about clothes, but my own twist is on technology. Film, vinyl, and recording tape are back in fashion, and they provide a good opportunity to explain a little of the physics behind how they work.
Social media gives me a platform to connect with others about what I’m doing. AI helps me do it. Isolation is often cited as a problem for retired people. Sometimes you simply need someone to run ideas by or to suggest alternative strategies. I have found AI very useful in many ways, from simple proofreading to exploratory discussions.
I am very aware that AI can return incorrect information, so I do not use it uncritically. For my work, the most powerful aspect is its ability to address what Donald Rumsfeld called “unknown unknowns”. It can find references and web links to information that was previously unknown to me.
So don’t dismiss social media and AI as something only for young people. In fact, if you are using Instagram or Facebook, younger people will probably tell you they are already for old people. Like many physicists, my intellectual stimulation is driven by curiosity, and these technologies are powerful tools for exploring it.
In 2014 I presented 
Mark Wrigley 