Understanding Meaningful Participation and the Situated Use of Technology in Community Music for Active Ageing

Abstract

An unfortunate tendency in previous HCI research has been to give the impression that it aims to ‘fix the problem’ of human ageing, suggesting a ‘deficit’ model of ageing or a ‘prosthetic’ model of technology. We conducted diary-aided interviews to investigate how technology use is situated in active, healthy older adults’ meaningful participation in community music. We argue that recognizing community music practices and technology use as situated action provides opportunities to grasp the subtleties of social participation and design for active ageing. We identified technology-mediated music practices, such as music sharing and revisiting, and how they evolved through the reconfiguration of connections between technology, competence, and forward-facing identities. We found that identity development, via routes such as exercising control, role transitions, and social spaces, had psychological significance and implications for active ageing. We explore how HCI leverages the perspective of active ageing and might facilitate older adults’ meaningful participation enhanced by technologies.

Designing community-level integral interventions for active ageing: a systematic review from the lens of community-based participatory research

“…The rst type focuses on technology learning that is supported by the physical and social environment, for example, a community formed by OA to learn technology from each other at a designated physical meeting point (36). The second type focuses on social interaction that is supported by the physical environment and technology, for instance, a community for sharing, learning and managing music using technology where people can also meet at a designated physical location (37). The third type focuses on physical activity that is supported by the social environment and technology, for example, a community-based walking programme supported by digital technology (38).…”

“…The second design consideration is to cultivate a collaborative learning culture in the community, i.e., community members can provide education and training to each other. The study on community music found that enabling competence sharing could support social participation of OA (37). OA in the community radio intervention also expressed that they enjoy sharing and learning experiences with and from each other (49).…”

“…This is the most common for studies focusing on promoting physical activities, as some regard exercise as a pain, and it is hard for some participants to keep envisioning the long-term gain of physical exercise. e cacy and con dence in realising their goals (37).…”

“…Brien et al (2021) meet participants regularly to explain the bene ts of physical activities in their daily lives(45) Frei et al (2019). invited each OA to set short-and long-term goals that they wanted to achieve by participating in the intervention (38) Mao et al (2020). found that letting OA realise their accumulated competencies by participating in the intervention over time has positive consequences for their self-…”