Digital inequality among older adults: explaining differences in the breadth of Internet use

Leukel, Joerg; Schehl, Barbara; Sugumaran, Vijayan

doi:10.1080/1369118x.2021.1942951

Cited by 24 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Over time, the term digital inequality has been used to encompass differences beyond access such as skills, uses, and outcomes (Büchi, 2017; DiMaggio & Hargittai, 2001; Hargittai, 2008; Robinson et al, 2015; van Dijk, 2013). Digital skills (Hargittai & Micheli, 2019), breadth of use (Leukel et al, 2021), and benefits such as connectedness (Zhou et al, 2021) or coping resources (van Ingen & Matzat, 2018) are consistently related to social background such that more privileged people tend to benefit more from their digital media use. There is much less work on harms as potential outcomes of digital media uses (e.g., Gangadharan, 2017; Gui & Büchi, 2021); what little exists has found mixed evidence of how these relate to socioeconomic status.…”

Section: From the Digital Divide To Digital Inequalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Need for Considering Digital Inequality When Studying Social Media Use and Well-Being

Büchi

Hargittai

2022

Social Media + Society

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Digital inequality scholarship has consistently found that people from varying societal positions experience digital media in their lives in divergent ways. Therefore, the growing body of research examining the relationship of social media use and well-being should account for the role of social inequality. This piece synthesizes key empirical research that has addressed the nexus of digital inequality, social media use, and well-being from one or more angles. Based on this extant scholarship, we develop a framework for research that integrates relevant perspectives from multiple disciplines.

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Section: From the Digital Divide To Digital Inequalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Need for Considering Digital Inequality When Studying Social Media Use and Well-Being

Büchi

Hargittai

2022

Social Media + Society

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“…Our previous analysis of the New York City census re access to technology found predictors of internet access among older adults included younger ages, higher levels of formal education, higher income, and living with others ( González-Rivera and Finkelstein, 2021 ). Other studies report that people in poorer physical, emotional, and cognitive health are less likely to adopt ICT ( Crouch and Gordon, 2019 ; Leukel et al, 2021 ; Sixsmith et al, 2022 ). Among our informants, ICT adoption was not associated with younger age, higher education, and health conditions.…”

Section: Discussion: Moving Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Declining internet usage has been associated with growing age and those above age 75 are less likely to access the internet than those from the younger group of older adults (65–74) ( Smith, 2014 ; Crouch and Gordon, 2019 ; Sixsmith et al, 2022 ). Studies have also found that adults with higher educational status in early life were more likely to engage in internet use in later life ( Leukel et al, 2021 ). In addition, ICT adoption patterns are also influenced by an individuals’ physical and cognitive capability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older adults’ experiences with using information and communication technology and tech support services in New York City: findings and recommendations for post-pandemic digital pedagogy for older adults

Finkelstein

Brennan-Ing

2023

Front. Psychol.

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IntroductionAlthough Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has great potential to help older adults cope with challenges associated with aging, the intended benefits of ICT are not always realized in this population due to access barriers and low digital literacy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous tech support initiatives for older adults got underway. However, evaluation of the effectiveness of these initiatives is less common. This research partnered with a large, multi-service organization in New York City that gave some groups of their clients ICT devices, unlimited broadband, and access to technology training in response to COVID-19 lockdowns. This study investigates older adults’ experiences with ICT and ICT support services to better inform the existing and emerging tech support for older adults during and beyond the pandemic.MethodsData were obtained from interviewer-administered surveys of 35 older adult recipients of ICT devices, connectivity, and training in New York City. The average age was 74 years (range = 55–90 years). The group was diverse regarding race/ethnicity (Black 29%, Latino 19%, White 43%). All had low incomes. Surveys consisted of multiple-choice items and open-ended responses.ResultsThe study found that one size does not fit all when it comes to ICT training and support for older adults. While connection to devices and services and tech support led to a degree of ICT adoption, the newly learned skills did not always lead to expanded device usage. The readily available tech support training and support do not guarantee service utilization, as success with tech services is related to one’s pre-existing ICT competence.DiscussionThe study concludes that customized training based on individuals’ skills rather than age is needed. Tech support training should start by understanding an individual’s interests and incorporate tech education to help users identify a wide range of existing and emerging online services that can meet their needs. Service organizations should consider including an assessment of ICT access, use, and skills into their standard intake protocols to ensure effective service delivery.

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“…5 On the one hand, this could be due to rapid changes in digital technologies in that some internet-related terms from the original scale could be outdated. 49 On the other hand, the 14-and 10-item scales included terms related to various computer and internet domains, 51 but there is no guarantee that a person knowledgeable in one domain will be knowledgeable in another. 5 Hence, our finding that only the six-item scale demonstrates adequate structural validity is consistent with Hargittai and Hsieh's definition of internet skills and their goal of proposing scales that have fewer components but still optimally capture differences among respondents' web-use skills.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Assessment of the Structural Validity and Measurement Invariance of the Web-Use Skills Scale for Aging Internet Users

Prevodnik

Trkman

Grosĕlj

et al. 2022

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

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Research on digital inequality has found that aging adults are often at risk of digital exclusion. Understanding the validity of survey measures assessing internet skills in this population is critical to providing the high-quality data needed for effective digital inclusion policy interventions. This cross-validation study examines the structural validity and measurement invariance (across age, gender, and education groups) of the Web-Use Skills scale (WUS), which is commonly used as a proxy measure of internet skills. We tested the 14-item version of the WUS. The scale was translated into the Slovenian language and pretested with older internet users. Data were collected from two independent samples of internet users aged 50+ years (N 1 = 259, N 2 = 256) drawn from an online opt-in panel in Slovenia. The examination of structural validity confirmed that the WUS adequately reflects the one-factor structure of the web-use skills construct, albeit in a shorter six-item form. Moreover, the analysis confirmed strict measurement invariance between the two samples, and at least scalar invariance between age, gender, and education groups. The results support the applicability of WUS in cross-group comparisons of internet skills in the aging internet users' population and point to several opportunities for future work.

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Digital inequality among older adults: explaining differences in the breadth of Internet use

Cited by 24 publications

References 48 publications

A Need for Considering Digital Inequality When Studying Social Media Use and Well-Being

A Need for Considering Digital Inequality When Studying Social Media Use and Well-Being

Older adults’ experiences with using information and communication technology and tech support services in New York City: findings and recommendations for post-pandemic digital pedagogy for older adults

An Assessment of the Structural Validity and Measurement Invariance of the Web-Use Skills Scale for Aging Internet Users

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