I see it all the time when writing my weekly Ask the Tech Guru column for Members Edition on aarp.org. Over the past year, I have received many questions from older adults who just don’t understand smart devices.

I’m here to say that you are not the problem. Tech companies should use plain language, and in my experience, older adults are savvier about tech than they’re given credit for. Many of us in our 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond have used computers in our jobs for years. More than 9 in 10 Americans over 50 have a smartphone. And older adults are active online.

But not everyone can know everything. The queries I’ve addressed run the gamut: how to bolster a Wi-Fi signal, recover missing smartphone photos, or retrieve messages that were ill-advised or sent prematurely. I’ve also covered how to figure out if your smart TV is spying on you.

When possible, I bring my own experiences into my guidance; tech journalists aren’t immune from issues that plague readers. In a column on what to do if your phone gets wet, I related how I dropped mine into a sewer. (It survived.)

So please share your struggles with me (email: personaltech@aarp.org). I’ve learned there’s no such thing as a dumb question. And yeah, that’s me being smart. —Edward C. Baig