Determination of Internet appropriation by older people through technological support services

Abstract

While social support—friends, family, and colleagues—is one of the main sources of encouragement and digital literacy for older people, there is evidence that suggests that they may prefer formal sources of support. This study aims to verify the capacity of technological support services to promote literacy and Internet use by older people in multiple contexts. The participants ( N = 560) were retired adults (over 54) residing in Spain and habitual users of technological support services in four organizational contexts (nursing homes, community senior centers, university programs for seniors, and adult education programs). The results show the moderating role of organizational contexts on the capacity of formal technological supports to determine the use and appropriation of the Internet by older people. Finally, the findings are discussed in terms of their usefulness for initiatives that adapt to the needs of the users of these services.

Relational components in the use of digital devices and apps: Mapping media appropriation processes among older adults in Sweden

“…In this article, I have sought to further our understanding of the complexity of digital media appropriation among older adults by studying the manifold of relations involved in the different phases of digital media appropriation, and based on this, mapping out the different types of appropriation processes. Studying media appropriation among older adults is highly relevant as access and digital media use become more challenging with older age (Barrantes Cáceres & Cozzubo Chaparro, 2019;Bergström, 2017;Fang et al, 2019;Hargittai & Dobransky, 2017;Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2015;Olsson et al, 2019;Tirado-Morueta et al, 2021). However, the theoretical framework presented in this study -where the notion of transaction (Dépelteau, 2008;Emirbayer, 1997) is connected to digital media appropriation -can also be used in future research studying other groups of people to further the understanding of media appropriation processes.…”

“…This requires certain experience with and knowledge of digital devices and apps. As stated in the introduction, studies have shown how demographic factors such as younger age facilitate the appropriation of digital devices and applications (Barrantes Cáceres & Cozzubo Chaparro, 2019;Bergström, 2017;Fang et al, 2019;Hargittai & Dobransky, 2017;Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2015;Olsson et al, 2019;Tirado-Morueta et al, 2021). This could explain why the younger participants in their 70s with a broader online repertoire and a range of (often newer) devices dominated this group.…”

“…The recruitment strategy in the present study -which focused on how older adults learn about digital devices and apps together with younger generations, primarily children and grandchildren -can explain why these types were most prevalent in the data. The fact that these two types were represented among a broader age range, including the 80-and 90-year-olds, can also be explained due to the fact that older age is related to more challenges when it comes to media appropriation (Barrantes Cáceres & Cozzubo Chaparro, 2019;Bergström, 2017;Fang et al, 2019;Hargittai & Dobransky, 2017;Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2015;Olsson et al, 2019;Tirado-Morueta et al, 2021).…”

“…Previous studies show a great diversity among older adults and reveal how demographic factors shape older adults' access to information and communication technologies. It is evident that younger age, higher educational level, and support from social networks facilitate the appropriation of digital devices and applications (Barrantes Cáceres & Cozzubo Chaparro, 2019;Bergström, 2017;Fang et al, 2019;Hargittai & Dobransky, 2017;Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2015;Olsson et al, 2019;Tirado-Morueta et al, 2021). Accordingly, most non-users of the Internet are found among older adults, with one-third of persons above the age of 76 in Sweden stating that they do not use the Internet (Internetstiftelsen, 2021).…”

Culturas digitales en las redes sociales:

“…Tal es el caso de dos Proyectos de I+D+i, liderados en la Universidad de Huelva por Ignacio Aguaded y M. Amor Pérez-Rodríguez, sobre Youtubers e Instagrammers (Instatubers, 2021;Yougrammers, 2019), en los que se analiza la competencia mediática de estos prosumidores, así como de los receptores de sus creaciones y las potencialidades de estas redes para afrontar este ecosistema informativo. Estas investigaciones han aportado importantes resultados en torno a los usos y acceso de la población infantil y juvenil (Castillo-Abdul et al, 2020;Lozano-Díaz & Fernández-Prados, 2021;Ramírez-García et al, 2022;, los colectivos en riesgo de exclusión social (Bonilla-del-Río et al, 2022;Civila et al, 2020;Vizcaíno-Verdú & Aguaded, 2022), las personas mayores (Tirado-Morueta et al, 2021), la persuasión política (Jaramillo-Dent et al, 2022a), la inmigración latinoamericana (Jaramillo-Dent et al, 2022b), los educadores y enseñanza , los contenidos tendencia conectados por la música (Vizcaíno-Verdú & Abidin, 2022), divulgadores científicos en redes sociales (Vizcaíno-Verdú et al, 2021), entre otros. El proyecto Horizonte 2020, Transmedia Literacy (2018), cuyo investigador principal es Carlos Scolari, de la Universidad Pompeu Fabra, también ha proporcionado interesantes aportaciones en relación con la identidad digital de los jóvenes y la curación de contenidos (Márquez et al, 2022).…”