Open Journal Systems

Digital divide among older adults and digital feedback in the family: A study from Nanjing, China

Yinghe Wang, Mus Chairil Samani, Abdul Latiff Ahmad

Article ID: 3009
Vol 9, Issue 10, 2024, Article identifier:

VIEWS - 87 (Abstract) 14 (PDF)

Abstract

Using questionnaire survey data conducted in Nanjing, China, this study investigates the impact of age on the digital divide among the elderly population and explores the moderating role of intergenerational communication. Through empirical analysis, it was found that increasing age significantly reduces the probability and duration of elderly people using the internet, but intergenerational communication can alleviate this negative impact to some extent. Specifically, increasing the frequency of contact with children promotes the acceptance and use of internet technology among the elderly, while the increase in meeting frequency significantly prolongs their internet usage time. This discovery emphasizes the important role of intergenerational interaction in promoting the digital integration of the elderly, providing a scientific basis for formulating relevant policy measures aimed at narrowing the digital divide among the elderly by enhancing the quality and depth of intergenerational communication.


Keywords

elderly people; digital gap; intergenerational communication; digital integration

Full Text:

PDF



References

1. The National Bureau of Statistics of China.Interpretation of the Seventh National Population Census bulletin [R/OL].[2021-5-12].

2. CNNIC. The 53rd Statistical Report on Internet Development in China[R/OL].[2024-3-22].

3. Neves B.B.,Waycott J.,& Malta S.(2018). Old and afraid of new communication technologies? Reconceptualising and contesting the ‘age-based digital divide’. Journal of Sociology,54(2),144078331876611.

4. Delello, Julie A., & Rochell R. McWhorter.(2017). "Reducing the digital divide: Connecting older adults to iPad technology." Journal of Applied Gerontology,36(1) ,3-28.

5. Prensky M.(2001).Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1.On the Horizon, 9(5),1-6.

6. Clark L S. (2009).Digital Media and the Generation Gap. Information Communication & Society,12(3),388-407.

7. Wu Y. H.,Souad Damnée, Hélène Kerhervé, et al.(2015). Bridging the digital divide in older adults: A study from an initiative to inform older adults about new technologies[J]. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 10(default),193-201.

8. Bailey A.,&Ngwenyama O.(2010).Bridging the Generation Gap in ICT Use: Interrogating Identity, Technology and Interactions in Community Telecenters. Information Technology for Development, 2010, 16(1),62-82.

9. Williams A.L.,&Merten M.J. (2011).Family: Internet and Social Media Technology in the Family Context. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 40(2),150-170.

10. OECD. Understanding the digital divide[R/OL]. [2019-10-13].

11. International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Measuring the information society report[R/OL]. [2019-10-13].

12. Zhou Y.Q.(2014). Digital Generation Gap and Cultural Feedback: A Quantitative Investigation of the "Quiet Revolution" in the Family, Modern Communication, (2).

13. Jan A.G.M. van Dijk (2006). Digital divide research, achievements and shortcomings. Poetics, 34(4-5),221-235.

14. Riggins F.J,&Dewan S. (2005).The digital divide: Current and future research directions. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 6(12),298-337.

15. Mariën I.,& Prodnik J.A. (2014).Digital inclusion and user (dis)empowerment: A critical perspective. Info, 16(6),35-47.

16. Yu, R. P., Mccammon, R. J., Ellison, N. B., & Langa, K. M. (2016). The relationships that matter: Social network site use and social wellbeing among older adults in the United States of America. Ageing & Society, 36(9), 1826–1852.

17. Thomas N. Friemel(2016)."The digital divide has grown old: Determinants of a digital divide among seniors." New media & society 18(2) ,313-331.

18. Hong, Y. A.,& Cho, J.,(2016). Has the digital health divide widened? trends of health-related internet use among older adults from 2003 to 2011. Journals of Gerontology, gbw100.

19. Kim, H. N., Freddolino, P. P., & Greenhow, C. (2023). Older adults’ technology anxiety as a barrier to digital inclusion: a scoping review. Educational Gerontology, 49(12), 1021–1038. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2023.2202080

20. Walker, J. (2017). ‘It keeps dropping out!’: The need to address the ongoing digital divide to achieve improved health and well-being benefits for older rural Australians. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 36(4), 262-263.

21. Lee B.,Chen Y.,Hewitt L.(2011). Age differences in constraints encountered by seniors in their use of computers and the internet.Computers in Human Behavior,27(3), 1231-1237.

22. Ihm J.,&Hsieh Y. P.,(2015). The implications of information and communication technology use for the social well－being of older adults.Information, Communication＆Society,18(10) ,1123-1138．

23. Bonfadelli H.(2002).The internet and knowledge gaps: A theoretical and empirical investigation.European Journal of Communication,17(1), 65-84．

24. DiMaggio P,Hargittai E,Celeste C,et al. (2004).From unequal access to differentiated use: A literature review and agenda for research on digital inequality.In Neckerman K ( ed.) Social Inequality.New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

25. Chen W. (2013).The implications of social capital for the digital divides in America.The Information Society,29(1),13-25.

26. Bell R Q. (1968).A Reinterpretation of the direction of effects in studies of socialization. Psychological Review,75 ( 2) : 81-95.

27. Ward S.(1974). Consumer socialization.Journal of Consumer Research,1(2),1-14.

28. Margaret Mead.(1970). Culture and commitment : a study of the generation gap.Garden City, N.Y.

29. Zhou X.H.(1988). On the Feedback Significance of Contemporary Chinese Youth Culture, Youth Research, 11,22-26.

30. Ekström K M.(2007).Parental consumer learning or“keeping up with the children”. Journal of Consumer Behaviour,6(4),203-217.

31. Hargittai E.,&HinnantA.(2008).Digital inequality:Differences in young adults’use of the internet.Communication Research,35(5),602-621.

32. An L.L.,&Wang Zh.X.(2020). Filial Piety and Equalization: Cultural Feedback and Refeeding in the Digital Divide — Research on Parent-child Relationship between College Students and Parents on WeChat Platform, Social Science of Chinese Youth, 4,111-117.

33. Zhou Y.Q.,&Lin F.(2018).The conceptualization and operationalization of digital generation gap: A pioneering attempt based on a national survey of three-generations in families. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication. 40(9),6-28.

34. Livingstone S.(2003). Children’s Use of the Internet: Reflections on the Emerging Research Agenda. New Media & Society, 5(2),147-166.

35. Kiesler S, Zdaniuk B, Lundmark V, et al.(2000). Troubles with the Internet:The dynamics of help at home. Human Computer Interaction,15(4),323-351.

36. Vikki S. Katz. (2010).How Children of Immigrants Use Media to Connect Their Families to the Community. Journal of Children and Media,4(3).

37. Teresa Correa. Bottom‐Up Technology Transmission Within Families: Exploring How Youths Influence Their Parents' Digital Media Use With Dyadic Data. Journal of Co mmunication,2014,64(1).

38. Lee, E. K., & Kim, D. H.(2018). Bridging the digital divide for older adults via intergenerational mentor-up. Research on Social Work Practice.


DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v9i10.3009
(87 Abstract Views, 14 PDF Downloads)

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2024 Yinghe Wang, Mus Chairil Samani，Abdul Latiff Ahmad

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.