Internet use in the very old
Ageing societies and at the same time increasing digitalisation processes affect many countries. For older people in particular, the rise of digitalisation in our everyday lives is a major challenge, as only a few of them use digital information and communication technologies (ICT) such as the internet. While the number of very old people (80 years or older) worldwide will triple to about 426 million by 2050 (United Nations, 2019), less than 10% of this group in Europe use the internet so far (König et al., 2018). Especially for very old people, who are more frequently affected by cognitive and physical limitations, using the internet can make everyday life and communication with social contacts easier. The non-use of modern ICT such as the internet impairs the social participation of older people in many places and leaves potentials that lie in the use of these technologies untapped. More background knowledge is needed to ensure that the group of the very old is not left out of the digitalisation process but is enabled to benefit directly from ICT.
In the context of her doctoral project, Mrs Rennoch is investigating the following questions: How do very old Internet users differ from non-users? What factors lead to people of advanced age using the internet? Are there people who still start using the internet in very old age? And if so, what distinguishes them from those who do not succeed in taking this step?
Furthermore, for what purposes do the very old primarily use the internet? And how is internet use in old age related to psychological well-being?
Particularly with regard to the group of the very old, little is known about their internet use behaviour and correlations between internet use and psychological well-being. Mrs Rennoch is investigating the aforementioned questions in her dissertation using the data from the NRW80+ study by means of quantitative research methods.
Sources:
König, R., Seifert, A., & Doh, M. (2018). Internet use among older Europeans: an analysis based on SHARE data. Universal Access in the Information Society, 17(3), 621-633. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-018-0609-5 United.
United Nations (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.18356/13bf5476-en