Introduction

Digital technologies shape our embodied lives and affect our knowledge of the self and the world. The introductory chapter of the book presents the state of the art in the research on digitalisation of health and social care work, with a focus on care for older people. In ageing societies, understanding what it takes to introduce and use digital technologies can pave the way to a successful, sustainable, and equally accessible system of social care and healthcare provision for older people. The chapter discusses some of the limitations in the present discussion and how the book at hand aims to address these gaps. The chapter proposes that living in an increasingly digitalised world requires…

Leikki kulttuuri-ilmiönä ja antropologisena käsitteenä : filosofis-antropologinen tutkielma leikki-käsitteen vaikutushistoriasta

On the dark side of lifestyle blogging : the case of negative anonyms

The social reciprocity between bloggers and their readers included in lifestyle blogs is inspired by casual exchange of information, opinions, and emotional support. Despite the obvious positive connotations, the world of lifestyle blogging also has a darker side to it. A negative anonym is recognized by bloggers as a reader who comments behind a pseudonym and distributes critical or abusive comments targeted against bloggers’ physical appearance, personality, life choices, or commercial collaborations. Bloggers are often regarded as influencers of social media. In this study, however, the perspective is reversed as I explore some of the ways bloggers are influenced by their readers. peerRe…

Katsaus : Valokuvaelisitaatio teemahaastattelussa

Exploring heterogeneous ICT use among older adults: The warm experts’ perspective

In this article, we (1) examine the various forms of support required by older users (75+) of digital technology and (2) provide a concrete, everyday life rationale for why warm experts play such a pivotal role in the processes of adopting and using ICT. Although warm experts are usually not older adults themselves, they provide an important mediating view on the technology use among older people that has not been rigorously addressed in previous studies. Thus, in our analysis we examine the younger family members’ views on acting as warm experts to their older family members. The research data consist of 22 extended group interviews (EGI) and observation carried out in Finland. Based on ou…

Digiosallisuus Suomessa : Digiosallisuus Suomessa -hankkeen loppuraportti

Digiosallisuus Suomessa -hankkeessa laadittiin aluksi digiosallisuuden käsiteanalyysi eri tieteen- ja hallinnonalojen näkökulmasta. Käsiteanalyysi ja sen pohjalta muodostettu digiosallisuuden määritelmä osa-alueineen on julkaistu erillisenä väliraporttina (Hänninen ym. 2021b). Siinä tunnistettiin digiosallisuuden kuusi osa-aluetta: infrastruktuuri ja teknologiset välineet; saavutettavuus; turvallisuus ja luotettavuus; taidot, osaaminen ja digituki; käytettävyys; käyttäminen ja hyödyt. Tähän pohjautuen loppuraporttiin on koottu ehdotus digiosallisuuden mittaristoksi seurannan ja arvioinnin mahdollistamiseksi, digiosallisuuden kansallinen tilannekuva ja digiosallisuutta edistäviä hyviä käytän…

Elektroniset tutkimusaineistot etnologiatieteissä : tulevaisuutta vai nykypäivää?

Artikkeli tarkastelee elektronista julkaisemista, elektronisten aineistojen käytettävyyttä ja muita Internetin tarjoamia mahdollisuuksia ja niihin sisältyviä ongelmia etnologisen tutkimuksen näkökulmasta. Artikkeli käsittelee erityisesti Internetin käyttöä aineistonkeruuvälineenä sekä elektronisiin lähteisiin kuten tietokantoihin, virtuaalisiin yhteisöihin, keskustelupalstoihin ja kotisivuihin sisältyviä tutkimuksellisia ongelmia. Yksi tieteellisen tutkimuksen vaatimuksista on aineiston säilyvyys ja tutkimuksen toistettavuus. Miten näitä periaatteita noudatetaan Internet-aineistojen kohdalla? Entä millaista lähdekritiikkiä Internet-aineistoon sovelletaan? Millaisia eettisiä ja tekijänoikeud…

Digitaalinen etnografia kulttuurien tutkimuksessa

Nastolan kunnan koulunkäyntiavustajien toimenkuva

Individual and shared digital repertoires – older adults managing digital services

The rise of public and other non-recreational digital services is based on the idea of catering to the daily needs of the citizens cost-efficiently and with ease. Previous research has approached t...

Digiosallisuuden käsite ja keskeiset osa-alueet : Digiosallisuus Suomessa -hankkeen väliraportti

Digiosallisuus Suomessa -hankkeen tavoitteena on luoda kattava kokonaiskuva digiosallisuuden kansallisesta tilanteesta, hyvistä käytänteistä ja eri tahojen rooleista sekä mittaristo, jota voidaan hyödyntää digiosallisuuden arvioinnissa. Hankkeen väliraportissa on tuotettu kokoava selvitys digiosallisuuden käsitteestä ja määritelmistä eri tieteen- ja hallinnonalojen näkökulmasta. Väliraportissa käydään läpi digiosallisuutta avaavia lähikäsitteitä sekä digiosallisuuden keskeisimpiä osa-alueita. Olennaiseksi jäsennykseksi väliraportissa nousee yksilöiden ja erilaisten käyttäjäryhmien kokemus digiosallisuudesta sekä eri hallinnonalojen ja muiden toimijoiden, kuten kolmannen sektorin ja yrityste…

More years, more technologies : aging in the digital era

This special issue presents research on the role of digital health and communication technologies in later life. Drawing from the observation that people’s longer lives are affected by digital technologies to varying extents and recognizing the vast supply of traditional and digital technologies targeted at older users, we maintain that the principle of aged heterogeneity also manifests itself with respect to the adoption and use of digital technologies. Basing on the findings presented in the articles of the issue, we conclude n this introduction to the issue that the concept of aged heterogeneity and the particularities of old age as a stage of life are still insufficiently incorporated i…

Individual and shared digital repertoires : older adults managing digital services

The rise of public and other non-recreational digital services is based on the idea of catering to the daily needs of the citizens cost-efficiently and with ease. Previous research has approached the use of digital services mainly from the perspective of an individual, while the significance of shared practices of use has attracted only a little attention. In this article, we (1) examine the incentives and limitations associated with the use of non-recreational digital services, which either encourage or discourage older adults to use them. Based on the first question, we then ask (2) how older adults in this study manage those non-recreational digital services they have chosen to use. Our …

Puuterilumen lumo : tutkimus lumilautailukulttuurista

Refamilisation in the broadband society – the effects of ICTs on family solidarity in Finland

In this article we explore the effects that new information and communication technologies (ICTs) have on family relations in Finland. The idea of ‘new connectivities’ works as a starting point for the study directing attention to ICT-mediated forms of being together with distant family members. The research data consists of 22 student reports encompassing a total of 133 informants from extended Finnish families. Extended group interview (EGI) technique was developed and used for data collection in order to grasp the underlying social practices and values behind the use of ICTs in extended families. The results show that new ICTs, especially mobile social media, enhance family solidarity am…

Participant-induced elicitation in digital environments

This chapter discusses participant-induced elicitation interview (PIE) in the light of two fieldwork cases focusing on Finnish lifestyle blogging and older adults as ICT users. By definition, elicitation refers to a process where something, such as a response, meaning, or answer, is evoked in or drawn out from an interviewee. PIE is based on photo-elicitation, where the interviewee is asked to take photographs dealing with the topics of the research. The central idea of PIE as participant-induced elicitation is based on the active agency of the person collaborating with the researcher. Under the premises of the research, the interviewee creates something subjective and personal that can be …

Enhancing Older Adults’ Digital Inclusion Through Social Support : A Qualitative Interview Study

AbstractA lack of social support can hinder older adults’ digital inclusion. This chapter examines the connection between social and digital inclusion by focusing on the process of acquiring social support for digital technology use among older adults in Finland. Building on the concept of warm expert, the chapter shows that acquiring support for digital technology use is a reciprocal process that both enhances and requires digital inclusion. A qualitative analysis of 22 participant-induced elicitation interviews was conducted with older adults aged between 57 and 89. The chapter shows that social support reinforces digital inclusion by (a) ensuring older adults’ access to technology, (b) c…

Sense of belonging in a digitalised care work community

This chapter uses the theoretical framework of sense of belonging to explore how eldercare workers from Finnish service housing units for older people describe the use of digital devices and applications in their work and the work practices that relate to their sense of belonging. The study is based on interview data (n = 25) that was collected in 2018 for a study on digitalisation of eldercare. The chapter asks: what does a sense of belonging mean for care workers’ agency in a digital era? The analysis concentrates especially on the practices of belonging and how they are enacted in a digitalised work environment. The chapter proposes that in the digital era, a sense of belonging is partic…

Etnologian ja antropologian tietoteoreettiset erityispiirteet

“Is This an Advertisement or a Personal Account?” : Commercialisation of Lifestyle Blogs in Finland

When blogging first appeared on the map of social media in the mid-1990s, the majority of bloggers were male writing for example about the developments of the online world, or if they were political reporters, looking for a new platform to publish their perhaps more controversial work. Today many blogs fall into the category of lifestyle blogs, which have thousands, sometimes even tens of thousands of individual readers per month throughout the world. In fact, professional blogging is one of the fastest growing phenomena online. It is driven mostly by relatively young women and promoted by the commercialisation of the blogging world, also known by bloggers as “the blogosphere”. During the p…

Older Adults Learning Digital Skills Together: Peer Tutors’ Perspectives on Non-Formal Digital Support

In later life, digital support is predominantly received outside of formal education from warm experts such as children, grandchildren, and friends. However, as not everyone can rely on this kind of informal help, many older adults are at risk of being unwillingly left without digital support and necessary digital skills. In this article, we examine non-formal digital support and peer tutoring as a way to promote digital and social inclusion through the acquisition of necessary digital skills. First, we ask: (a) What is peer tutoring, in the field of digital training, from the peer tutors’ point of view? Then, based on the first research question, we further ask (b) what are the key charact…