Internet Use as a Predictor of Sense of Community in Older People

Sum, Shima; Mathews, R. Mark; Pourghasem, Mohsen; Hughes, Ian

doi:10.1089/cpb.2008.0150

Cited by 103 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The majority of past research on Internet and well-being has focused on children [7], adolescents [24][25][26], college students [15], older people [5,27,28], and comparisons between younger and older populations [29]. To date, few studies have looked at 'ordinary' community dwellers or relied on probability sampling techniques in their selection of participants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internet Access at Home and its Relationship to Well-being in Deprived Areas of London

Boniwell¹,

Osin

Renton³

2015

TOPSYJ

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Purpose:The existing studies of the association between Internet usage and well-being have produced contradictory results. This study explores the associations between Internet access at home and well-being, as well as other lifestyle variables. Design/methodology/approach: The study was done in a probability sample of 800 community-dwelling adults aged 16 and over in six most deprived areas of the Redbridge borough of London. Using face-to-face interviews, information on the demographics, lifestyle, Internet access at home, happiness, trait hope, and subjective health was obtained. Path analysis and structural equation modelling were used to investigate the associations between Internet access and well-being, controlling for demographic variables. Findings: Respondents with home Internet access had stronger social ties with friends and relatives, engaged in a wider repertoire of community creative activities and cultural events, and reported having higher social support. Controlling for demographic variables, Internet access at home was a weak but statistically significant predictor of happiness, agency, and absence of mental health problems. The effect of home Internet access on happiness was partially mediated by social ties. Research limitations/implications: The correlational nature of the study forbids making causal inferences. The data suggest that people with low socioeconomic status may derive wellbeing benefits from having access to information technology which can serve as an instrument for social integration. Originality/value: The data provide a demographic snapshot of the digital divide in one of the most deprived areas of London.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internet Access at Home and its Relationship to Well-being in Deprived Areas of London

Boniwell¹,

Osin

Renton³

2015

TOPSYJ

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“…Attaining a sense of community can be psychologically rewarding, leading to enhanced life satisfaction and wellbeing (Sum, Mathews, Pourghasem, & Hughes, 2009). While sense of community is typically conceptualised as an offline phenomenon, individuals can also obtain this feeling in an online context (Blanchard & Markus, 2004).…”

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confidence: 99%

How Social Are Social Media? A Review of Online Social Behaviour and Connectedness

et al. 2017

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The use of social media is rapidly increasing, and one of the major discussions of the 21st century revolves around how the use of these applications will impact on the social relationships of users. To contribute to this discussion, we present a brief narrative review highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of social media use on three key aspects of social connectedness: social capital, sense of community, and loneliness. The results indicate that using social media can increase social capital, lead to the formation of friendships and communities, and reduce loneliness. However, some social media site users may experience weakening friendships, online ostracism, and heightened loneliness. Therefore, we argue that the use of social media has contradictory effects on social connectedness. Moreover, the direction of these outcomes is contingent upon who is using the site and how they are using it. Based on these arguments, possible directions for future research are discussed. It is recommended that discourse be continued relating to the association between online social behaviour and connectedness, as this will enable researchers to establish whether the positive outcomes of social media use outweigh the negative.

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“…We will therefore apply concepts of Complexity Theory to our research design of interventions involving online communities of senior citizens and relate these to their subjective well-being which Wiesmann and Hannich [32] have developed as an indicator for successful ageing. These authors adopted the perspective that a sense of coherence plays a key role for psychological adaptation.…”

Section: Discussion Of Next Stepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One UK digital media champion, Martha Fox, expressed concern that "over three million people aged over 65 don't see another person in a week" and believed that technology could help address this problem [8]. This is supported in a study on the use of online communities by older people, which found a positive association between a sense of belonging to an online community, sense of community and link to well-being [32]. Coughlan [11] also describes the particular health risks for the elderly in England where more than half of people over the age of 75 are living alone and about one in 10 says he or she suffers from "intense" loneliness.…”

Section: Isolation and Lonelinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Information Systems for the Social Well-Being of Senior Australians

Burgess

Hasan

Alcock

2013

Building Sustainable Information Systems

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In most developed countries the ageing population is placing a severe strain on health systems and national budgets. In meeting this challenge, e-Health initiatives seek medically-focused ICT solutions for improved health services that enable senior citizens to remain living at home longer. A literature review and interviews with health-care providers reveal that significant factors affecting the well-being of the elderly are isolation and loneliness. In this paper we report on the first stages of a study on the digital literacy of seniors and the potential development of social media to meet the capabilities of people as they age. Focus groups with senior citizen computer club members tell us that older folk are become more digitally literate. As social media becomes more usable and acceptable, we propose that online communities for senior citizens may have significant health benefits. As this is a multifaceted emergent phenomenon we apply concepts from Complexity Theory to our analysis and to the design of future research on this topic using an action research methodology. Abstract In most developed countries the ageing population is placing a severe strain on health systems and national budgets. In meeting this challenge, e-Health initiatives seek medically-focused ICT solutions for improved health services that enable senior citizens to remain living at home longer. A literature review and interviews with health-care providers reveal that significant factors affecting the well-being of the elderly are isolation and loneliness. In this paper we report on the first stages of a study on the digital literacy of seniors and the potential development of social media to meet the capabilities of people as they age. Focus groups with senior citizen computer club members tell us that older folk are become more digitally literate. As social media becomes more usable and acceptable, we propose that online communities for senior citizens may have significant health benefits. As this is a multifaceted emergent phenomenon we apply concepts from Complexity Theory to our analysis and to the design of future research on this topic using an action research methodology.

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Internet Use as a Predictor of Sense of Community in Older People

Cited by 103 publications

References 17 publications

Internet Access at Home and its Relationship to Well-being in Deprived Areas of London

Internet Access at Home and its Relationship to Well-being in Deprived Areas of London

How Social Are Social Media? A Review of Online Social Behaviour and Connectedness

Information Systems for the Social Well-Being of Senior Australians

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