Exploring the Adoption of Telecommunication Services by Older Adults

Abstract

With the expected growth of the population of Americans over the age of 65, service scientists and designers are developing systems including internet of things systems to assist older adults in remaining independent. Yet little is known about how older adults adopt new services. In this grounded research, the authors explored the adoption of telecommunication services including landlines and mobile services by older adults. This early research suggests that access to other systems, population density and fit with the norms of a social network may be promising factors in future research in telecommunication service adoption. This study addresses the gap that current innovation adoption theory has not adequately explained adoption of service innovations by older adults. Future research opportunities exist for human factors researchers in the area of service adoption by older adults.