Teaching older people internet skills to minimize grey digital divides

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This paper's purpose is to explore how older people in developed and developing countries are affected by the grey digital divide. It argues country type and culture influence older people's willingness to access and learn Internet skills. Using the knowledge from researchers informs policy, funding and delivery of appropriate skilling to minimize this divide.Design/methodology/approach -A systematic literature search using specific keywords to locate digital divide research, specifically pertaining to older people across country types.Findings -Despite increased Internet access and affordability, older people still face challenges in learning Internet skills. Country type, economic challenges and cultural beliefs need to be considered in minimizing the grey divide. Governments recognize the importance of funding such teaching but evidence-based research must continue to inform policy to maximise funding and solve the many physical age and cultural issues affecting older people's access to Internet skills learning.Originality/value -This paper argues that research in developing countries into minimizing the grey digital divide is a crucial undertaking. As the Internet continues growing in developing countries, finding solutions that consider cultural and age differences issues are crucial to the success of having Internet literate societies that have growing populations of older people seeking to use it.

Technology integration for students’ information and digital literacy education in academic libraries

“…Higher education has lagged in providing the technology-related infrastructure in all the academic libraries on digital literacy education. In this context, researchers emphasized to students and elderly intensifying their research skills via technology roadmaps to upgrade their core skills in learning and problem solving (Ameen and Ullah, 2016;Mubarak and Nycyk, 2017). Because in some countries technology-related anxiety found to be a potential obstacle to citizens due to certain circumstances, such as religious, cultural and traditional beliefs.…”

The Frequency of Using Websites and Social Media by Various Age Groups to Form Opinions about Scientific Topics: Findings from the European Context

“…Three age groups of citizens are analyzed in the study: young (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34), middle-aged (35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54) and older adults (55+). The terms "elderly," "senior users," or "older adults" are used in the literature interchangeably [9, p. 130].…”

“…The division is visible in the access to and use of ICT [17]. The disparities are related to the socioeconomic status of the elderly, their level of education, or the family situation [18]. Namely, the higher the economic status and education level, and the stronger and wider the family ties with younger generations who can foster the development of ICT skills, then the higher the media literacy among the seniors.…”

Networked Identities: Exploring the Role of Social Networking to Optimize Event Marketing by Higher Education Institutions in the Middle East

“…It is worthwhile to note that roughly three-quarters or more (around 81%) of Internet users in the Middle East use social networks, compared with 71 per cent in the USA and 65 per cent across six key European nations (Pew Research Center, 2016). As people in emerging and developing economies grow richer and become better educated, technology use is likely to increase (Mubarak & Nycyk, 2017; Ortutay, 2016). For this reason, it is necessary to research the current usage of SNSs in the Middle East, particularly for educational purposes.…”