> As the OP describes - we all remember our grandparents struggling to use computers with any degree of effectiveness at all

I've seen this argument a lot, and I hate it. my grandmother can use computers more effectively than many university undergrads (even computer science students). why? she's been using computers, in one form or another, for forty-five years.

I don't think age has much to do with this. age brings some lessening of cognitive capability but it doesn't make you automatically bad at things. were you good at things before you got older? good news, you will probably still be good at things.

> Are people using these things in ways I can't even imagine that gives them an edge over others in their everyday lives?

Probably! but they are probably also ways people in their age group can't even imagine either.