Direct[Message]: Exploring Access and Engagement With the Arts Through Digital Technology in COVID Times

Abstract

Direct[Message], a community-based research (CBR) project developing a digital platform supporting older adults engagement with the arts through digital technologies, faced the challenge of redesigning the research protocol after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020. The redesign, which brought challenges and opportunities, allowed the research team to embed the project with process goals considering older adults’ experiences of social isolation, and exploring how these experiences might be mitigated by greater access to the arts through technology. This article explores the redesign process undertaken by the Direct[Message] team and presents preliminary findings from this multiyear study.