Older People’s Media Repertoires, Digital Competences and Media Literacies: A Case Study from Italy

Abstract

Digital media are part of everyday life and have an intergenerational appeal, entering older people’s agendas, practices, and habits. Many people aged over 60 years lack adequate digital competences and media literacies to support learning, well-being, and participation in society, thus imposing a need to discuss older people’s willingness, opportunities, and abilities to use digital media. This study explored older people’s media use and repertoires, digital competences, and media literacies to promote media literacy education across all ages. The article discusses the data from 24 interviews with older people aged 65 to 98 years in Italy to answer the following research questions: What kinds of media repertoires emerge? What kinds of competences and media literacies can be described? What kinds of support and training do older people get and wish to receive? The analysis of the data produced four specific profiles concerning media repertoires: analogic, accidental, digital-instrumental, and hybridised users. Media literacy is still a critical framework, but the interviewees were open to opportunities to improve their competences. The use of digital media has received a strong boost due to the pandemic, as digital media have been the only way to get in touch with others and carry out their daily routine.

Links between ease of use, perceived usefulness and attitudes towards technology in older people in university: A structural equation modelling approach

“…For this reason, the World Health Organization, together with other associations, is implementing strategies to enhance the role of institutions in digital literacy for the social inclusion of older adults. This decision is supported by different investigations (Block et al, 2019; Canedo-García et al, 2022 ; Carenzio et al, 2021 ; Hänninen et al, 2020 ; Olsson & Viscovi, 2018 ; Tirado-Morueta et al, 2021 ) and they show that the increase in age increases the need for institutional support and direct teaching to achieve digital literacy in these populations.…”

“…However, the perceived usefulness of ICDT by older people depends on many factors. As shown in several studies (Alonso et al, 2021 ; Basakha et al, 2019 ; Carenzio et al, 2021 ; Nimrod, 2017 ), this perception is negative when the use made about them is scarce. However, there are other studies (Hur, 2016 ) that show that older people perceive the use of technologies as important for their daily life and feel safe in their use.…”

ICT-Mediated Learning as a Form of Socio-Emotional Support for Older Adults

“…Through their smartphones, older users can create spaces for reciprocal digital education that they share with their grandchildren [50]. These and other intergenerational interactions, which are driven by social networks, have a strong appeal for seniors and promote a better quality of life through entertainment and mutual learning [15,16,17].…”

“…MiOne is an online community where seniors are assisted in actively using diverse digital contexts [9]. Through these and other Digital Social Networks (DSN), older adults can be integrated into the knowledge society, which can improve their quality of life [15,16]. Thus, despite the stereotyping of seniors by social networks, the latter offer older adults the opportunity to exchange ideas and thoughts in a digital community [53,54].…”

“…However, the pandemic and the possibilities of technological accessibility in today's societies have fostered digital learning modes for older adults [13,14]. In addition, social networks have offered informal and collaborative learning through the cocreation of content and intergenerational relationships [15,16,17].…”