The digital divide: Internet and e-mail use by the elderly

2005 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan M Kiel
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
E Mail

scholarly journals An Intergenerational Information and Communications Technology Learning Project to Improve Digital Skills: User Satisfaction Evaluation

JMIR Aging ◽  
10.2196/13939 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. e13939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesc López Seguí ◽  
Marc de San Pedro ◽  
Eva Aumatell Verges ◽  
Salvador Simó Algado ◽  
Francesc Garcia Cuyàs
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Communications Technology ◽  
Technology Learning ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
Satisfaction Evaluation

Background “Digital Partners” is an intergenerational information and communications technology learning project carried out in the municipalities of Vic and Centelles (Catalonia) from April to May 2018. Within the framework of the introduction of community service as a subject in secondary education, the Centre for Health and Social Studies (University of Vic) created a training space with 38 intergenerational partners (aged 14-15 years and >65 years), with the aim of improving the senior users’ digital skills in terms of use of smartphones and tablets, thus helping reduce the digital divide in the territory. Objective The aim of this paper is to evaluate the satisfaction of both junior and senior participants toward the intervention and to explore its main drivers. Methods Participants who volunteered to participate in the study were interviewed. Quantitative and qualitative data gathered in paper-based ad hoc surveys were used to assess participants’ satisfaction. Results The experience shows a broad satisfaction of both junior and senior users. The project’s strengths include the format of working in couples; randomly pairing individuals by operating system; the ability to practice with the device itself; individuals’ free choice to decide what they wish to learn, develop, or practice; and the availability of voluntary practice material that facilitates communication and learning. With regard to aspects that could be improved, there is a need to review the timetabling flexibility of meetings to avoid hurrying the elderly and to extend the project’s duration, if necessary. Conclusions This activity can serve to create mutual learning through the use of mobile devices and generate security and motivation on the part of the seniors, thus reducing the digital divide and improving social inclusion.

Online Literacy among Students and Faculty

2010 ◽  
pp. 301-322
Author(s):  
Plamen Miltenoff ◽  
John H. Hoover ◽  
Galin Tzokov
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Emerging Nations ◽  
Available Technology ◽  
Eastern European Countries ◽  
Computer Labs ◽  
E Mail

Based on the recent proliferation of online education and the ongoing technological revolution, this research focused on interaction of students and faculty as a main contributor to the success of online education. During 2003, a survey was distributed to convenience samples of faculty members and students from the Midwest of the U.S. and three Eastern European countries. The data reflects students’ and faculty members’ opinions about the state of technology, online communication, and instruction. The results confirm findings from the literature about the existence of a digital divide between developed and emerging nations. Although Eastern European respondents don’t benefit from the technology base of their American correspondents, their satisfaction and comfort with technology remains relatively strong. The digital divide may result from administrative rigidity; Eastern European students enjoy less access to computer labs, due to fewer and less flexible hours. Faculty members and administrators remain entrenched in “old” technologies such as e-mail, whereas Millennials expect newer communication tools and prefer synchronous ones. Considering the available technology, online assessment is employed relatively inconsistently. Libraries as technology providers are perhaps underutilized particularly in Bulgaria, Moldova, and Macedonia.

DIFFUSION OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) THROUGH THE RURAL INTERNET CENTRE: THE MALAYSIAN EXPERIENCE

2010 ◽  
Vol 07 (02) ◽  
pp. 129-143
Author(s):  
AININ SULAIMAN ◽  
NOOR ISMAWATI JAAFAR ◽  
ROHANA JANI
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Communication Channel ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Diffusion Of Information ◽  
E Mail ◽  
By Products

This paper focuses on examining the ICT diffusion by studying an initiative of the Malaysian government to bridge the digital divide that exists across the country's urban and rural communities. This is achieved through investigating the operation and the experience of a typical Rural Internet Centre. The findings of this study showed that there is keen interest among the community to learn and sharpen their ICT-related skills. The Internet Centre serves to provide an avenue for the realisation of this goal. The study showed that despite some operational snags, the Internet Centre performed well. One of the by-products of the centre was that its activities fostered closer relationships among users; it provided an avenue for disparate community members to interact and share their new skills. Bringing the ICT usage and appreciation to the rural areas was successful. About half of the centre users made weekly visits during which they searched for information on the internet, sent and received e-mail and attended the Internet Centre's regular IT classes. They also saw it as a valuable communication channel and a potential leveller of the technological capability gap.

An Empirical Note on Health Information Digital Divide

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajeya Jha ◽  
Jaya Rani Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Discriminant Analysis ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Family Type ◽  
Online Health Information ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
And Gender ◽  
E Mail

Availability of healthcare information on internet has made it possible for patients or their relatives to search for such information. This study was undertaken to find answers to such questions. In all 754 respondents participated in the survey. The variables selected from literature survey and exploratory study are Health Information Digital Divide, Income, Having E-mail id, access to internet, geographical location, Education, family-type, age and gender. As the data is categorical the significance of difference has been calculated using Chi-square test. Later discriminant analysis was conducted to predict patients who make online health information search and the ones who do not. The result show that Income, Having E-mail id, access to internet, geographical location, Education and gender are significant factors that determine the propensity of people for online healthcare search. Age and family-type, however, were found to have no impact on such a behavior. Using discriminant analysis 94.5 percent patients who make online health information search could be correctly predicted.

scholarly journals Dentists’ perceptions and barriers to provide oral care for dependent elderly at home, long-term care institutions or hospitals

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. e18223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albano Porto Cunha Junior ◽  
Mateus Bertolini Fernandes dos Santos ◽  
Jarbas Francisco Fernandes Santos ◽  
Leonardo Marchini
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Oral Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
The State ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Dependent Elderly ◽  
E Mail

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions and barriers to providing oral health care for the dependent elderly in unconventional settings as reported by dentists in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The Brazilian elderly population is rapidly growing, and a larger elderly population implies an increasing number of dependent elderly patients. Therefore, investigating the perceptions and barriers reported by dentists for caring for these patients becomes important. Materials and methods: An online survey was sent by e-mail to dentists of a metropolitan area in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Results: The response rate was 3.65% (n = 125). Only 14.4% of respondents offered home care to the elderly. Lack of experience or training (60.7%) and the small number of home visits (42.9%), were the main reported barriers to providing care for the dependent elderly. Most of the respondents (82.4%) agreed that the age of the patient did not influence their decision to provide care, and 96.8% agreed that delivering care to the elderly could be a rewarding experience. Conclusion: Few respondents offered care to the elderly and some of the most relevant factors considered in the decision to offer care were, experience and training, personal satisfaction and having gerodontology as a stand-alone course during dental school.

scholarly journals An Intergenerational Information and Communications Technology Learning Project to Improve Digital Skills: User Satisfaction Evaluation (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesc López Seguí ◽  
Marc de San Pedro ◽  
Eva Aumatell Verges ◽  
Salvador Simó Algado ◽  
Francesc Garcia Cuyàs
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Communications Technology ◽  
Technology Learning ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
Satisfaction Evaluation

BACKGROUND “Digital Partners” is an intergenerational information and communications technology learning project carried out in the municipalities of Vic and Centelles (Catalonia) from April to May 2018. Within the framework of the introduction of community service as a subject in secondary education, the Centre for Health and Social Studies (University of Vic) created a training space with 38 intergenerational partners (aged 14-15 years and >65 years), with the aim of improving the senior users’ digital skills in terms of use of smartphones and tablets, thus helping reduce the digital divide in the territory. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to evaluate the satisfaction of both junior and senior participants toward the intervention and to explore its main drivers. METHODS Participants who volunteered to participate in the study were interviewed. Quantitative and qualitative data gathered in paper-based ad hoc surveys were used to assess participants’ satisfaction. RESULTS The experience shows a broad satisfaction of both junior and senior users. The project’s strengths include the format of working in couples; randomly pairing individuals by operating system; the ability to practice with the device itself; individuals’ free choice to decide what they wish to learn, develop, or practice; and the availability of voluntary practice material that facilitates communication and learning. With regard to aspects that could be improved, there is a need to review the timetabling flexibility of meetings to avoid hurrying the elderly and to extend the project’s duration, if necessary. CONCLUSIONS This activity can serve to create mutual learning through the use of mobile devices and generate security and motivation on the part of the seniors, thus reducing the digital divide and improving social inclusion.

scholarly journals Public Policies, Gaps and Digital Literacy of the Elderly People

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-158
Author(s):  
Carolina Riveros ◽  
Ángela Arenas ◽  
Marcela Castro ◽  
Maximiliano Olivares
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Current Development ◽  
Educational Levels ◽  
Access Policies

Purpose ”“ In the current development of Chilean society there is a profound socio-demographic transformation, which implies an advanced aging of the population. Methodology ”“ According to the 2017 Census, 17.7 percent - equivalent to 1,586,634 women - are 60 years of age or older, while men in the same age group account for 14.7 percent (1,263,537). This age group constitutes an enormous challenge for the design of public policies. Findings ”“ It is necessary to generate access policies that take into account the different educational levels of older people in order to overcome the digital divide, as well as incentives for skills and competencies in the various uses and benefits currently provided by ICTs.

scholarly journals Too Old For Technology? How The Elderly Of Lisbon Use And Perceive ICT

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bárbara Barbosa Neves ◽  
Fausto Amaro
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Stratified Sample ◽  
Information And Communication

The elderly have traditionally been an excluded group in the deployment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Even though their use of ICT is increasing, there is still a significant age-based digital divide. To empower elderly people’s usage of ICT we need to look at their patterns of usage and perceptions. To understand how Portugal’s elderly (65 and above) use and perceive mobile phones, computers and the Internet, we surveyed a random stratified sample of 500 individuals over 64 years of age, living in Lisbon. Of those surveyed, 72% owned a mobile phone, 13% used computers, and 10% used the Internet. The quantitative data was followed-up by ten qualitative (semi-structured) interviews. The implications of the results are discussed herein.   Keywords: Elderly, Aging, ICT, Ageism, Digital Divide, Mobile phones, Computers, Internet, Portugal, “faux users”

Online Participation and Digital Divide

2010 ◽  
pp. 549-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen K. Aikins ◽  
Meena Chary
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Black Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Communication Preferences ◽  
Resource Deployment

This chapter examines whether government officials’ deployment of resources to broaden Internet access and participation is influenced by officials’ communication preferences and socioeconomic factors. The concern that the Internet explosion has alienated and marginalized some citizens from the democratic process and civic life has generated intellectual debate and led governments and other sectors to take measures to bridge the gap created by the digital divide. Although several studies have been conducted on the subject, few are yet to be done on the influence of government officials’ communication preferences and socioeconomic factors on resource deployment to broaden access and participation. Drawing on the theories of technological diffusion and determinism, as well as developmental and democratic theories, we argue that officials’ communication preferences and socioeconomic factors will be important in broadening Internet access and participation. Survey data, local government Web site contents and census data were analyzed. Results reveal that officials are not eager to commit resources to activities that broaden access and participation because they generally prefer to communicate with citizens via traditional channels. In addition, the sizes of the elderly and Black population, as well as the relative affluence of cities, do influence the presence of deliberative features on city Web sites.

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