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Social Sciences
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Connecting Older Adults to the Digital World
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Connecting Older Adults to the Digital World

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Community and Urban Sociology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 2893

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bernardo Figueiredo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics, Finance and Marketing, College of Business, RMIT University, P.O. Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
Interests: consumer culture; globalisation; ageing; technology; transformative consumer research; co-design participatory methods; action research
Dr. Jacob Sheahan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Design Informatics, Edinburgh College of Art, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9BT, UK
Interests: design; ageing; technology; interdisciplinarity; care; co-design; creative methods

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the importance of the digital world in the lives of older adults, presenting a crucial tool for navigating contemporary society. Simultaneously, the growing population of senior citizens presents both a social phenomenon and a challenge for our societies, with technological advancements playing a pivotal role in connecting and enhancing the lives of older adults in various aspects. However, within current discussions surrounding technology, the human element is often overshadowed. Seniors are sometimes perceived as malfunctioning machines, with their limitations viewed as challenges to be overcome through technological solutions.

To address this issue, new perspectives are necessary, prioritizing the human experience. This shift in perspective allows us to acknowledge the complexities of the relationship between humans and technology, and to adapt technological advancements to better suit the needs of the older population. It is also important to incorporate emerging perspectives looking into digital inclusion and design, cultural models of ageing and technology, digital inclusion, media practices, ageing in place and data, technology paradoxes, feminist perspectives on care regarding relationality and reciprocity and more broadly, the mutual shaping of ageing and technology.

As these ideas and challenges continue to evolve in the context of older adults’ lives, several critical issues arise relating to how technology can promote the quality of life and healthy ageing in later life, and their intertwining with the market to generate and promote technology. These also include studies looking into the barriers to technology adoption and use, age-friendly marketplaces and the relationship consumers have with technologies. Papers looking at emerging technologies such as AI-technologies, personalized learning platforms, voice-activated assistants, virtual reality (VR) experiences, augmented reality (AR) assistance, telemedicine, social robots, wearable health monitors, smart homes for the elderly, accessible design innovations and transportation solutions are also welcome.

By adopting this human-centred approach and addressing these questions, we can better understand the evolving role of technology in the lives of older adults, ensuring it positively contributes to their overall well-being.

Dr. Bernardo Figueiredo
Dr. Jacob Sheahan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • digital inclusion
  • older adults
  • healthy ageing
  • emerging technologies
  • age-friendly marketplaces
  • ageing in place

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 504 KiB  
Article
Factors Influencing Seniors’ Anxiety in Using ICT
by Mike Reid, Torgeir Aleti, Bernardo Figueiredo, Jacob Sheahan, Larissa Hjorth, Diane M. Martin and Mark Buschgens
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(9), 496; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13090496 - 19 Sep 2024
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Abstract
The ability of older adults to engage with information and communication technologies (ICT) is crucial in today’s more digital and connected world. Anxiety about and failure to adopt and engage with ICT is increasingly likely to be a barrier in daily living for [...] Read more.
The ability of older adults to engage with information and communication technologies (ICT) is crucial in today’s more digital and connected world. Anxiety about and failure to adopt and engage with ICT is increasingly likely to be a barrier in daily living for older adults, potentially reducing their freedom as consumers, quality of life, independence, and wellbeing. It may also be a significant factor in social and economic exclusion. Drawing on consumer behaviour, ICT theories and frameworks, and a quantitative survey of 706 older Australian adults, this paper examines factors influencing anxiety in engaging with ICT. Our findings show that perceived anxiety was associated with increased subjective norms or when others placed pressure on older people to engage more with ICT and when older adults perceived increased risks associated with ICT engagement. Conversely, reduced levels of perceived anxiety were correlated with a positive attitude towards ICT and when older people had the technical and cognitive resources to adopt and engage with ICT. The results highlight the importance of building, renewing, and reinforcing digital competencies in older consumers. Understanding factors associated with ICT-related anxiety means that organisations will be better placed to develop campaigns, products, programmes, and policies for older consumers that actively reduce anxiety, increase their use of ICT, and reduce the digital divide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Connecting Older Adults to the Digital World)
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Review

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20 pages, 819 KiB  
Review
Experiences of Digital Transitions in Health and Social Care Services in Later Life: Findings and Reflections from a Collaborative, Interdisciplinary Exploratory Review
by David Alejandro Vaca-Benavides, Sumetha Uthayakumar, Emilie McSwiggan, Kayla Ostrishko, Godfrey Wanok, Clare Halpenny and Elisa Cardamone
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(10), 526; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13100526 - 1 Oct 2024
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Abstract
Health and social care services are increasingly shaped by the emergence of new digital developments. Research suggests that older adults are less likely to use digital devices and, therefore, risk missing out on essential health and social care services as these become more [...] Read more.
Health and social care services are increasingly shaped by the emergence of new digital developments. Research suggests that older adults are less likely to use digital devices and, therefore, risk missing out on essential health and social care services as these become more digital by design. We carried out an exploratory literature review using the terms ‘onboarding’ and ‘offboarding’ within the design, engineering, health, and social science literature to understand how researchers are currently thinking about older adults’ digital service needs, informed by discussions of stakeholder engagement with older adults in Edinburgh to explore their own experiences of digital transitions. The review process was implemented based on the methodology of Arksey and O’Malley for scoping reviews, and the findings were reported according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The databases used were Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL Plus, IEEE Xplore, Engineering Village, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ACM. In total, 18 studies were finally included. Our findings show different interpretations of onboarding across disciplines and a lack of use of offboarding in the design of digital interventions. Additionally, our findings reveal inequalities in digital onboarding, as evidenced by the limited number of studies. Finally, we share a snapshot of our findings, together with reflections on interdisciplinary and collaborative processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Connecting Older Adults to the Digital World)
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