Social media technologies represent an emerging means by which older adults can access health and community information, engage in peer-to-peer information sharing, and also potentially decrease social isolation. Privacy concerns, however, have been consistently identified as a barrier for older adults' use of the Web and social media technologies. The authors conduct a preliminary study involving 150 older adult participants, investigating their use and perceptions of social media technologies. The trial involved first providing the participants with brief training in three common social media technologies: Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. The authors carried out a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the participant's use and privacy perceptions of these technologies. Overall, the results are promising as to the potential to address privacy concerns to enable older adults to further utilize these technologies for improved mental, physical, and social health. Implications for future research and usage within the older adult community are also discussed.
Do robots facilitate life review narratives of older adults? A preliminary study