by Dr. Cora van Leeuwen, imec-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium.
Media and digital literacy, and older adults are often seen as opposites. An examination of 20 years of newspaper articles in The Netherlands and Flanders showed that older adults are only mentioned 10% of the time, this means that they only feature in 281 articles of 2800 examined articles. Furthermore, it became clear that if they are mentioned they are often portrayed as helpless participants of our digital society, or to be frank as victims in need of protection of the digital society [1]. This is, however, not the reality as experienced by 79 participants of an interview study conducted in 2021-2022. This leads us to question: how do older adults in Flanders experience digitalization and the introduction of digital technologies?
A complex answer for a complex question
Research shows that older adults are a diverse bunch. Indeed, the research fields dedicated to aging argue that it is impossible to describe one ageing experience which reflects the lived experience of all older adults. However, when it comes to internet use and digital technology adoption, it is clear that some elements influence the likelihood of being a user of internet connected digital technology in old age. For example, the users in our research often indicated that they were financially comfortable and obtained a high level of education. Historically, the effect of obtaining a higher education in young adulthood would result in both a well-paying job and an earlier introduction to the internet and personal computers than the general public. In addition, many of the participants we spoke to have a long history of technology use, often going back thirty to forty years. This experience was due to their education, as many studied at universities who might have introduced some computer labs in the seventies and eighties, or they took office jobs which included an early introduction through the work floor. These experiences were often combined with an inherent interest in technologies. As one participant stated, ‘I am a bit of a techie, I went from the radio to the computer.’ Another group which clearly received a timely introduction were the former teachers. They were some of the oldest of our participants and would tell stories of snatching up opportunities for extra training or arguing for the first computer of the school to be placed in their classroom. What these teachers had in common was that they liked digital technologies and that they were curious about the possibilities offered by this new technology.
Even in the group of users it was possible to distinguish between advanced users and users that know enough to get by. The latter group were often recently retired and focused on keeping up their skills to be able to participate within society. They would feel that they knew enough and were skilled enough to find solutions to their eventual problems. These users were slightly more diverse in background in terms of education but often had prior work experience which included computers. Through educational opportunities up to their retirement they were able to maintain their level of digital skills and felt prepared for further digitalization. Although many of the participants indicated that they would be able to keep up their skills to their intended level, couples would describe how they would delegate different digital tasks amongst themselves. For example, men were often tasked with financial or governmental digital tasks, while their female partners would focus on social media and other communication aspects of digital society.
Being non-digital in old age
The ten non-users that we spoke to were mostly part of the 80+ group and eight were women. This last is less surprising as historically these women would not have had the same educational and professional opportunities as their male counterparts. Which means that they would not have been able to accumulate digital experience across their lifetime. On top of that lack of opportunity, the non-users often blamed their disinterest in technologies for their inability to work with it. They explained that they had more interest in gardening or being outside. However, being a self-proclaimed non-user does not mean that you have no interaction with digital technology. Often non-users would be in possession of a smartphone and would receive the updates from the family WhatsApp. They would like messages and look at photos; however, they would feel uncomfortable or unable to actively engage with the app. Beyond these minor interactions for social engagement, many would arrange someone else to assist in their digital obligations, this means that they asked younger family members to make hospital appointments or to check the train times.
Will older adults always be digitally vulnerable?
The digital exclusion in later life is not the result of only age, rather it is a reflection of the digital vulnerability experienced by individuals in society. The reality is that if you have a lower level of education at 64, you will be more at risk of digital vulnerability. This same risk will continue when you retire but you are now also categorized as an older adult. Where old age does influence your digital skills is in your ability to pick up new skills. As typical problems related to old age such as memory issues, mobility and visual impairments complicate the learning process. However, our interviews show that if you have a solid base to build on, it will be easier to maintain your digital skills. Thus, making lifelong education focused on digital skills essential to prepare our older members of society for digitalization.
[1] Van Leeuwen, C., Jacobs, A., Mariën, I., & Vancruyssen, A. (2024). What do the papers say? The role of older adults in 20 years of digital inclusion debate in Dutch and Flemish newspapers. International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 17(2), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.3384/ijal.1652-8670.4883
Author
Dr. Cora van Leeuwen, Senior Researcher, imec-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium. Cora’s PhD research is part of a larger project, Digital Ageing. This project examines the various ways in which digital technology influences the ageing experience of older adults in Flanders. As Youth Representative of the Temporary Working Group on Ageing and Communication Studies Cora organises various activities for younger researchers.
