Determinants of Mobile Digital Information Usage among Senior Consumers: Focusing on secondary digital divide

Abstract

This study analyzes factors that determine the usage of digital information by senior consumers in the mobile environment. Senior consumers are alienated from digital information in South Korea; therefore, there have been increasing attempts to resolve this digital divide and reduce the digital information usage gap between young adults and senior consumers. The study used panel data from the National Information Society Agency (2017); there were 1,463 participants, aged 50-79 years. SPSS 19.0 was used to conduct the statistical analyses for frequency, factor analysis, Cronbach' a analysis, descriptive analysis and hierarchical multiple-regression analysis. The results are as follows. First, negative attitude toward information society negatively influenced the mobile digital information usage in diversity context. Second, average monthly income, degree of digital device usage motivation, positive attitude toward digital device usage, digital literacy of PC & Mobile, and family support positively influenced the mobile digital information usage in diversity context. Third, negative attitudes toward information society negatively influenced the mobile digital information usage in quality context. Forth, average monthly income, degree of digital device usage motivation, positive attitude toward digital device usage, digital literacy of PC & mobile, and family support positively influenced the mobile digital information usage in quality context. The study results can help further understand mobile usage behaviors among senior citizens and the implications on their quality of life in the digital information era. Keywords second digital divide, digital information usage, attitude, digital literacy, mobile usage Family and Environment Research

Digital literacy among Korean older adults: A scoping review of quantitative studies

“… 6 , 29 , 30 , 32 , 36 , 37 , 39 – 41 , 48 , 51 , 52 , 58 , 60 – 62 , 64 , 66 We also observed that factors promoting digital literacy varied across studies, including self-efficacy, health empowerment, positive attitudes toward technology, technology education, health-seeking behavior, family support, and cognitive flexibility. 6 , 26 , 38 , 42 , 53 , 65 Studies also examined associations between digital literacy and physical and mental health. 26 , 30 , 33 , 37 , 38 , 48 , 52 , 58 , 61 , 63 , 66…”

“…While older adults are generally defined as individuals aged 65 and older, 23 we found that many studies used age criteria younger than 65 years (e.g., 60 or 55 years and older) to define older adults. 6 , 24 – 42 Therefore, we applied broader age criteria for older adults—which includes those aged younger than 65 if researchers of the original studies defined them as older adults—to align with such studies. Moreover, this study defined digital literacy as literacy in or utilization of any type of digital device.…”

“…Although cultivating digital literacy is an ongoing demand for every generation and sector in society, supporting digital literacy in older adults is particularly challenging. 5 – 7 For older adults, barriers to adopting new technology are multifaceted, including declines in physical function, emotional resistance, or cognitive decline. 8 Studies consistently report that old age is associated with low technology usage, 9 , 10 and older adults are less likely to search the Internet for health information.…”

The Relationship Between Types of Smartphone Use, Digital Literacy, and Smartphone Addiction in the Elderly

“…[25][26][27][28] Digital literacy is associated with age and socioeconomic level, and higher digital literacy may relate to increased smartphone use. [29][30][31] Recent studies on the relationship between digital literacy and smartphone addiction have been mixed. Some studies indicate that digital literacy is not related to smartphone addiction, 32 while others argue that digital literacy is positively related to smartphone addiction.…”

The Digitization of Seniors: Analyzing the Multiple Confluence of Social and Spatial Divides

“…There are also less innovative [24] and have less need to search for information. [13,25]. Geospatial variables have been little used to date in order to explain the low digitization of seniors.…”