Building Social Connections: A Framework for Enriching Older Adults’ Social Connectedness Through Information and Communication Technologies

2019 ◽  
pp. 65-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Waycott ◽  
Frank Vetere ◽  
Elizabeth Ozanne
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Information And Communication

Do Loneliness and Social Connectedness Improve in Older Adults Through Mobile Technology?

2020 ◽  
pp. 221-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rochell R. McWhorter ◽  
Julie A. Delello ◽  
Christine S. Gipson ◽  
Beth Mastel-Smith ◽  
Kleanthe Caruso
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Other Information ◽  
Information And Communication

About one-fifth of the population in the United States in 2015 will be age 65 or older in 2050 and loneliness may be a contributing factor that inhibits their well-being and overall health. As the number of older adults continues to escalate, information and communication technologies such as smartphones and computers may create an increase in social connectedness leading to a decline in loneliness and social isolation. Results from this pilot study suggest that the older adult participants demonstrated some degree of loneliness. As the older adults used social media to connect with friends, family, and other information of interest, there was an increase in social connectedness for many of the participants, but the intensive iPad intervention was not significant in terms of reducing loneliness for either group over time.

Connectedness and ICT: Opening the door to possibilities for people with intellectual disabilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Barlott ◽  
Tammy Aplin ◽  
Emma Catchpole ◽  
Rebecca Kranz ◽  
Damian Le Goullon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
People With Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Personal Skills ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Personal Interests

This study aimed to investigate the experiences of people with intellectual disability (ID) using information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the ways these technologies foster social connectedness. In partnership with a community mental health organization, this qualitative descriptive study explored the experiences of 10 people with ID using ICTs. Participants described how ICTs Opened the Door to Possibilities in their life – ICTs provided an avenue for connecting with other people, a means to pursue personal interests and a tool for organizing everyday life. Opening the door to possibilities was further understood as movement towards digital inclusion for people with ID, conceptualized as the fit between social opportunity and personal skills. We have identified the prominent role social supports play in creating (and constraining) opportunities for digital inclusion, and that digital inclusion has the potential to enable social connectedness and the development of agency. Consideration of the complex interaction between social opportunity and personal skills, and the mediating influence of supports, will enhance the inclusion of people with ID.

The Physical–Digital Divide: Exploring the Social Gap Between Digital Natives and Physical Natives

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 1167-1184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Ball ◽  
Jessica Francis ◽  
Kuo-Ting Huang ◽  
Travis Kadylak ◽  
Shelia R. Cotten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Digital Natives ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Demographic Group ◽  
The Social ◽  
Information And Communication

Older adults are the most digitally divided demographic group. The present study explores how older adults perceive the physical use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly across generations and contexts. Data for the present study come from nine focus groups. Seniors acknowledge that ICTs help them connect with geographically distant social ties, but that they lead to feelings of disconnection with geographically close social ties. We label this phenomenon the “physical–digital divide,” which exists when a group feels ostracized or offended when those around them engage with ICTs while they themselves are not or cannot engage with ICTs. Younger generations are often referred to as “digital natives” and older generations as “digital immigrants.” A more apt label for older adults may be “physical natives,” as their preferred method of communication involves physical face-to-face interactions and traditional codes of etiquette. Suggestions are made for reducing the physical–digital divide.

scholarly journals Communicating public and social services through iTV: Promoting older adults’ quality of life

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-88
Author(s):  
David Campelo ◽  
Telmo Silva ◽  
Jorge Abreu
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Interactive Television ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Information And Communication

As the demographic transition occurs in a global scale, dealing with the consequences of population ageing has emerged as a critical task to modern societies. This has led government entities to pay more and more attention to seniors’ concerns, limitations and needs. A deep understand of old citizens, especially those unfamiliar with Internet and smartphone technologies, is also a challenge in order to enable them to fully benefit of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). In the light of this issue, personalization and user-centred approaches involving older adults in all development stages may be the key for higher levels of user engagement with such ICT solutions as the interactive television (iTV) platform reported in this paper (+TV4E). The +TV4E is an on-going research project conducted at University of Aveiro, Portugal, based on a social inclusion approach, aiming to take benefit from the television viewing dynamics of senior viewers, by interweaving short and personalized adverts related to public and social services alongside regular broadcast contents. The platform is being designed with a user-centred approach featuring the integration of assistive technologies and multiplemultimedia communication channels. In this paper, a system architecture to deliver the informative contents is stated and a discussion of the potential social impacts of providing such platform is presented.

scholarly journals Online social engagement, depression, and anxiety among older adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 146144482110543
Author(s):  
Matthias Hofer ◽  
Eszter Hargittai
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Using Data

As opportunities for social interactions proliferate online, questions arise as to how engagement in such activities may relate to mental health. Given older adults’ shrinking networks and increasing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), online interactions could offer alternatives for connections that could ultimately benefit older users’ mental health. This article examines associations between older adults’ online social engagement and their mental health. Using data from an online survey of older adults ages 60+, we find positive and negative associations between different forms of online social engagement and anxiety. In terms of depression, two forms of online social engagement showed positive associations with this mental health indicator. Our results can help explain inconclusive findings of previous research on ICT use and mental health by looking at how specific online social activities relate to mental health.

scholarly journals INDIVIDUAL AND DYADIC PREDICTORS OF TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION: IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S14-S15
Author(s):  
William J Chopik ◽  
Shelia R Cotten
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Need For Cognition ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Technology has the ability to enhance and enrich the lives of older adults by facilitating better relationships, health, and well-being. However, older adults vary in how often—and even whether—they use information and communication technologies (ICTs). Further, interactions and relationships with people in their immediate social networks might have implications for whether or not older adults adopt ICTs. In two studies of individuals (N=595 participants; Mage=67.09; 56% Female; 69.2% White) and couples (N=542 couples; Mage=63.65; 50% Female; 83.9% White), I examined individual and dyadic predictors of technology adoption among older adults. Among a wide array of individual difference constructs, the most reliable predictor of technology adoption in both individuals and their spouses was need for cognition (.08 ≤ r ≤ .23). The results will be discussed in the context of how individual differences modulate adoption and the benefits accrued from ICTs across the lifespan.

Use of Information and Communication Technologies among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Seifert ◽  
Shelia R. Cotten
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ict Use ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Advance Research

In the United States, more people are turning 65 daily than at any prior point in history. This demographic transition will likely continue for several decades. Older adults experience health declines as they age in addition to increased chronic health conditions. Though older adults are increasingly using information and communication technologies (ICTs), a digital divide still exists. In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of the research on the digital divide and ICT use among older adults, including what is currently known about the impacts of ICT use on older adults’ health and quality of life, limitations in measurement tools and existing data sources, and future directions for others hoping to advance research on this topic.

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